EXPERIENCES  AMD  OBSERVATIONS 


OF  AN  AMERICAN  CONSULAR 


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EXPERIENCES  AND  OBSERVATIONS 

OF   AN   AMERICAN   CONSULAR 

OFFICER    DURING    THE    RECENT 

MEXICAN  REVOLUTIONS 


WILL.  B.  DAVIS,  M.  D. 


1 


As  Mainly  Told  in  a  Series  of  Letters 
Written  by  the  Author  to  His  Daughter 


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PUBLISHED       BY       THE       AUTHOR,      1920 

■  Printed  by  Wayside  Prett,  Lot  ^r,f,»l,0  — 

Price,  $2.00  per  Copy,  by  Mail,  from  the  Author,  at  Chula  Vista,  California 


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Copyright  by  Will.  B.  Davis.  1920 


Price,  $2.00  per  Copy,  by  mail,  from  the  Author,  at  Chula  Vista,  California 


PREFACE 

The  Author's  daughter  accompanied  him  to  Mexico  and 
resided  there  for  several  years,  when  she  married  and  returned 
to  the  States.  To  keep  her  informed  of  the  progress  of  af- 
fairs in  Mexico — in  which  she  had  become  considerably  in- 
terested— he  wrote  to  her  from  time  to  time,  giving  accounts 
of  events  as  they  happened  down  there.  On  his  own  return 
to  this  country,  finding  that  his  letters  had  been  well  pre- 
served, and  that  they  were  helpful  in  refreshing  his  memory 
about  particulars,  he  decided  to  make  liberal  use  of  them  in 
compiling  these  chronicles.  Therefore  the  reader  is  to  under- 
stand that  all  unaddressed,  and  unsigned  letters,  or  parts  of 
letters,  made  use  of  in  the  preparation  of  these  chronicles, 
were  written  by  the  Author  to  his  daughter,  Mrs.  W.  C.  Car- 
rington,  of  Pueblo,  Colorado.  Such  other  letters  as  may  ap- 
pear in  these  pages,  whether  copied  from  those  of  the  Author 
to  other  persons,  or  from  letters  of  others  to  the  Author,  will 
explain  themselves. 

The  publication  of  these  letters  is  not  intended  as  a  con- 
tribution to  history,  nor  as  even  a  pretense  at  giving  a  full 
account  of  the  revolutions  to  which  they  largely  refer,  but  it 
is  done  merely  to  gratify  a  personal  whim,  and  afford  to  any 
one  who  may  care  to  do  so,  the  opportunity  of  living  over 
with  the  Author,  in  retrospect,  experiences  which  he  and  some 
other  Americans  had  during  the  most  turbulent  times  of  the 
recent  revolutions  in  Mexico.  J 

WILL.  B.  DAVIS,  M.  D. 
Chula  Vista,  California,  January  15,  1920. 


CONTENTS 


Chapter  Page 

1.  A    Few    Preliminary    Remarks    with    Some    Reminiscential 

References     1 

The  Guadalajara  Consular  District   1 

How  the  Author  Happened  to  Be  in  Charge  of  the  Guadala- 
jara Consulate  2 

Pre-Revolutionary    Anti-American    Sentiment    Manifested    in 
Mexico   3 

2.  How  Popular  Free  Government  is  Exemplified  in  Mexico...       8 

3.  Telling  How  Mexican  Authorities  Tried  to   Compel  Ameri- 

can Citizens  to  Support  Armed  Forces 12 

4.  Other   Mexican   Ways    of   Expressing   Their   Anti-American 

Sentiments    15 

5.  News  of  the  Fall  of  Vera  Cruz;  How  it  Was  Received  at 

Guadalajara:  Some  Interesting  Incidents  Thereto  Apper- 
taining     •• 18 

Flight  of  Americans   Out  of  Mexico:   Guadalajara  to   Man- 
zanillo 22 

6.  Manzanillo  to  San  Diego:  How  Great  Inconveniences  Were 

Disposed  of    25 

7.  I  Am  Ordered  Back  to  Guadalajara:  I  Make  the  Journey  Un- 

der Difficulties  Through  a  Devastated  Country 33 

8.  How  I   Found  Things  in  My  Consular  District  on  My  Re- 

turn: My  First  Undertakings  with  the  Carranza-Dieguez 
Government  During  Its  First  Term 38 

9.  Being  Further  Accounts  of  the  First  Carranza-Dieguez  Ad- 

ministration         47 

An  Account  of  Some  Recent  Cases  Well  Authenticated — The 

Case  of  Filamon  Lepe  47 

The  Case  of  Twenty-five  Religious  Devotees 51 

Some   Interesting  Documentary  Facts  Relating  to  the  Case 

of  Filamon  Lepe 52 

Conditions  Present  and  Prospective 55 

Correspondence    with    Local    People    Bearing   on    American 

Interests     56 

Conditions   of  Affairs  at  Guadalajara  While  in    a    State    of 

Isolation    61 

10.     A  Brief  Account  of  a  Short  Interregnum 64 

The  Evacuation  of  Guadalajara  by  the  Carrancistas 64 

The  Behavior  of  Some  of  the  Local  Consular  Corps  When 

General  Dieguez  Evacuated  Guadalajara 67 


Chapter  Page 

11.  The  First  Term  of  the  Villa  Administration 69 

What  General  Villa  Has  Done  Since  Establishing  His  Gov- 
ernment    •  • 70 

Recent  Military  Movements:  Their  Effect  on  the  Public...     7Z 
Retaking  of  Guadalajara   by  General  Dieguez,  and   His   Re- 
entrance  Into  the  City 76 

12.  The   Carrancista    Reign    of  Terror   During  Dieguez'   Second 

Administration     81 

More  About  the  Recent  Behavior  of  the  Foreign   Consular 

Corps    81 

A  Few  Well  Authenticated   Cases  of  Assassinations  During 

Reign  of  Terror:  The  Case  of  a  Young  Lover 82 

The  Case  of  Two  Mexican  Laborers — Assassinated 83 

The  Case  of  a  Poor  Laborer:  Assassinated  on  Hidalgo  Street  84 

13.  The  Dieguez  Reign  of  Terror — Continued 86 

The  Prevailing  Terrible  State  of  Affairs  Causes  the  Consular 

Corps  to   Intercede 86 

Author's  Discourse  Before  General  Dieguez,  Beginning  Near 

Bottom  of  Page  87 

Author's   Discourse  Ended  on  Page 89 

Author  Receives  the  Thanks  of  Other  Consuls 92 

14.  Some   Rather    Exciting   Episodese   Which    Occurred    During 

General  Dieguez'  Second  Term  at  Guadalajara 93 

Unsuccssful  Attempts  of  the  Villistas  to  Retake  Guadalajara  93 
Arrest   and   Threatened   Execution  of    French    Vice-Consul, 

Eugene  Pinzon   95 

15.  Second  Term  of  Dieguez'  Administration  Comes  to  An  End: 

An  Account  of  One  of  the  Author's  Personal  Adventures     99 
Confiscation  of  Firearms  and  Ammunition  of  Foreigners  by 
the  Carrancistas   99 

16.  Given  as  an  Appendix  to  the  Second  Term  of  the  Dieguez 

Administration     109 

Some    Miscellaneous    Observations — The    Case    of    a   Young 

Armenian     109 

The  Case  of  Three  Railroad  Auditors Ill 

The  Case  of  a  Family  of  Six  Destitute  Spaniards 112 

17.  Second  Term  of  Villa  Administration:  Its  Entail  of  Political 

What-nots,    and    Its    Success    in   the    Perpetration   of   Its 

Share  of  Outrageous  Murders  114 

Outrages  Towards  Catholic  Priests  and   Church   Institutions.  116 

The  Present  Political  Situation  Here 118 

18.  Telling  Principally  About  How  the  Villistas  Tried  to  Force 

Foreigners  to  Contribute  to  the  Support  of  Their  Army: 
Subterfuges    Resorted  to  to  Accomplish   Same;  With  an 

Account  of  Some  of  the  Villa  Assassinations 121 

Governor  Medina's  Decree  Imposing  an  Extraordinary  Tax 
on  Foreigners  for  Military  Purposes 123 


Chapter  Page 

Continued   Effort  of  Villa  Government  to  Have   Foreigners 

Pay  "Extraordinary  Tax"   127 

An  Account  of  a  Few  of  the  Many  Assassinations  by  the 
Villistas — The  Case  of  Nine  Political  Suspects 129 

The  Case  of  Joaquin  Cuesta  Gallardo 130 

19.  Third  Term   of  Carranza — Dieguez   Administration:   Former 

Reign  of  Terror  Not  Renev^red 132 

Second  Evacuation  by  the  Conventionatistas,  and  the  Third 

Occupation  of  Guadalajara  by  the  Constitutionalistas. . . .  132 
Present   Political   Situation:   Action   Taken  by   the   Consular 

Corps 134 

A  State  of  Isolation  at  Guadalajara 135 

Demand   by   Constitutionalist   Faction   Repayment   of  Taxes 

Paid  to  Conventionalistas 137 

A  Deplorable  and  Alarming  Economic  Situation   138 

Second   Attempt   of   General     Medina    (Villista)     to    Retake 

Guadalajara 142 

The  Sacking  of  Ameca  by  Carrancistas  143 

20.  Continuation  of  the  Carranza-Dieguez  Administration:  Food 

Conditions,  Present  and  Prospective,  etc.   .../ 145 

The  Proletariat  in  the  Saddle    152 

21.  Carranaz-Dieguez  Continued  Without  Betterment 157 

Confiscating   Everything   Belonging  to   Church — that   can  be 

found:   Padre  Aspeita  Palomar's   Complaint 158 

22.  Carranza-Dieguez   Continued:  The  Reader  Can  Judge  as   to 

Improvements,  etc 162 

Something  of  the  Author's  Impressions  After  a  Casual  Talk 

With   Governor  Berlanga    163 

Attack  on  an  American  and   Britishers,   Robbing  Them  All 

and  Killing  British  Subject,  Edward  Fitzpatrick 166 

23.  Continuation    Carranza-Dieguez:     Introducing     Some     Side- 

Lights     169 

Shipping  Food  Stuffs  to  the  United  States 169 

Joseph   Mulhall's   Statement 170 

Nakedness  Among  the  Poor  in  Country  Districts 172 

Youthfulness  of  Some  Mexican  Soldiers 172 

Interchange     of     Courtesies     Between     Villa    and     Carranza 

Bandits     176 

Inflaming  Soldiers  Against  Americans 176 

Our  Present  Hotchpotch  Situation — Politically  Speaking....  177 

24.  The   Recognition  of  Carranza,  and  Some   Other  Very  Ugly 

Occurrences,  Not  Omitable   180 

The  Military  Situation,  Supplementing  Letters  Dated  Octo- 
ber 21,  28  and  30 184 

A  Masqued  Effort  to  Discriminate  Against  Foreign  Investors 

in  Mines    187 

Robbing  an  Eight  Year  Old  Girl  of  Her  Shetland  Pony,  by 
a  Carranza  Captain   188 


Chapter  Page 

25.  Carranzaism  Continues  Consistently  Carranzaizing 193 

The   Attempted   Abduction  of   an  American   Girl   by  a   Car- 

rancista  General,  as  Told  by  Her  Own  Father 193 

Letters    from    the    Author     to     Acting    Governor     Berlanga, 

Which  Explain  Themselves   196 

How  the  Work  of  Pacification  is  Being  Effected  Hereabouts  197 
Personal    Experiences   of   an   American    Citizen,   as  Told   by 

Himself    198 

Copy  of  a  Letter  from  Americans,  Complaining  of  a  Want 

of  Protection  4 207 

The  Kidnapping  of  Two  Americans  by  Mexican  Bandits,  for 

Ransom    , 208 

Copy  of  a  Letter  from  D.  M.  Pyle,  Recently  Kidnapped  by 

Mexican  Bandits 209 

26.  Carranzaism   Unadulterated:   And    Yet   More   Carranzaism — 

With  a  Vim  214 

Visit  of  General  Carranza  to  Guadalajara 214 

Prohibition   of   Foreigners    Obtaining    Realty    Property    in 

Mexico 216 

Semi-Public  Conference  of  Sefior  Cabrera  at  Guadalajara...  217 

Echoes  of  General  Carranza's  Visit  to  Guadalajara 220 

News  of  the  Pershing  Expedition  Reaches  Guadalajara 223 

Decree    of    General    Carranza    Prohibiting    Merchants    From 

Closing  Their  Houses  of  Business 223 

Arrest    and     Imprisonment    of    American     Citizen,    W.     B. 

Arrington    226 

27.  While    Carranzaism    Continues   Unabated,     We    Are     Again 

Ordered  to  Quit  Mexico. 234 

Recent  Financial  Edicts  Which  Aggravate  Distrusts  Already 

Entertained  234 

A  Few  Side-Lights  236 

We  Are   Ordered   to   Leave   Mexico   a    Second    Time,    and 

Gladly  Obey  238 

Refugeeing  Out  of  Mexico   239 

28.  In   Regard  to   Some  Common  Slanders  About  the   Mexican 

People,  (Given  as  a  Semi-Appendix)    243 


CHAPTER  ONE 

A    FEW    PRELIMINARY    REMARKS    WITH     SOME 
REMINISCENTIAL  REFERENCES 

The  Guadalajara  Consular  District:  Its  Situation  and 
Importance. 

The  Guadalajara  Consular  District  is  composed,  in  ordi- 
nary times,  of  the  State  of  Jalisco;  but,  during-  the  recent 
revolutions,  by  force  of  circumstances,  the  Territory  of  Tepic, 
and  the  N-W  portion  of  the  State  of  Michojican,  were  also 
served  by  the  Guadalajara  post. 

The  State  of  Jalisco,  bounded  on  the  West  by  the  Pacific 
Ocean,  is  the  wealthiest,  and  most  populous,  in  the  Republic 
of  Mexico:  Estimated  population,  1,500,000 — a  thorough  cen- 
sus never  was  taken  anywhere  in  Mexico. 

The  City  of  Guadalajara,  capital  of  the  State  of  Jalisco, 
is  second  only  to  the  City  of  Mexico  in  population,  wealth 
and  importance  as  a  commercial  and  educational  center;  in- 
dustrially, it  leads  every  other  city  in  the  Republic:  Popula- 
tion, 200,000.  Guadalajara  is  situated  a  little  over  400  miles 
N-W  of  the  City  of  Mexico,  and  about  175  miles  West  of 
Irapuato — where  the  Guadalajara  branch  of  the  Mexican  Cen- 
tral Railroad  connects  with  the  main  line — (Mexico  City  to 
El  Paso.)  It  is  also  connected  by  rail  with  the  port  of  Man- 
zanillo,  on  the  Pacific  coast,  and  by  these  and  several  branch 
roads  with  many  other  cities,  towns  and  villages  of  import- 
ance. Because  Guadalajara  is  so  far  removed — (to  the  West) 
— from  any  of  the  main  routes  of  travel  from  Mexico  City  to 
anywhere  on  the  Texas  border,  and  there  has,  heretofore  been 
so  little  travel  via  the  port  of  Manzanillo  to  and  from  the 
States,  it  is  not  very  well  known  to  the  outside  world ;  and 
during  times  of  revolution,  not  much  is  heard  from  that  sec- 


2  SOME  REMINISCENTIAL  REMARKS 

tion;  although,  in  the  estimation  of  the  Mexican  people,  it  is 
always  considered  next  in  importance  to  the  Capital  of  the 
Republic,  either  in  times  of  peace,  or  of  war.  Indeed,  there 
has  long  been  a  saying  among  the  Mexicans,  that  "as  Guada- 
lajara goes,  so  goes  the  Republic." 

How  the  Author  Happened  to  be  in  Charge  of  the  Guada- 
lajara Consulate,  and  why  he  served  peoples  of  Other  Nation- 
alties,  as  well  as  Americans. 

I  had  been  living,  and  practicing  my  profession,  (that 
of  Medicine,)  several  years  at  Guadalajara  when,  in  1908,  that 
post  having  been  promoted  from  a  Consular  Agency  to  a 
Consulate,  Mr.  Samuel  E.  Magill  was  sent  there  as  Consul, 
and  I  appointed  Vice-Consul. 

The  Vice-Consul  did  not  exercise  any  official  duties  at 
all,  except  when  the  regular  Consul  was  absent  from  the  Dis- 
trict, when  the  Vice  enjoyed  full  Consular  powers. 

Consul  Magill  left  Guadalajara  on  the  10th  of  October, 
1912,  for  Hot  Springs,  Arkansas,  and  died  there  January  28, 
1913. 

Mr.  Taft  was  President  at  the  time,  and  sent  in  a  nomin- 
ation for  the  Guadalajara  post  to  succeed  Consul  Magill,  de- 
ceased; but  the  Democratic  members  of  the  Senate  had  al- 
ready caucused,  and  agreed  not  to  confirm  any  further  such 
nominations  made  by  Mr.  Taft,  but  to  hold  them  over  until 
Mr.  Wilson  should  assume  the  Presidency,  which  was  to  be 
in  March,  following. 

Early  after  Mr.  Wilson's  inauguration,  he  declined  to 
recognize  the  Huerta  Government,  then  in  power  in  Mexico. 

As  the  Vice-Consul,  under  these  circumstances  exercised 
all  the  functions  of  a  Consul,  and  as  I  was  the  only  American 
holding  an  exequater  from  a  Mexican  Government  to  act  in 
such  capacity,  in  the  Guadalajara  District,  I  decided  to  remain 
with  the  Consulate,  (giving  up  my  profession,)  and  to  serve, 
as  best  I  could,  my  Government,  and  the  fifteen  hundred  or 


PRE-REVOLUTIONARY  ANTI-AMERICAN  SENTIMENT    3 

more  Americans  in  that  District  through  those  trying  times, 
or  at  least  until  some  more  satisfactory  provisions  could  be 
made. 

Soon  after  assuming  full  charge  of  the  Consulate,  I  re- 
ceived instructions  from  the  State  Department  to  extend  pro- 
tection to  all  foreigners  in  my  Consular  District  whose  Gov- 
ernments did  not  have  official  representatives  there.  This  will 
explain  why  accounts  of  some  of  my  interventions  in  behalf 
of  others  than  Americans,  are  included  in  these  chronicles. 
Thus,  without  the  advantages  of  special  traming,  and  for 
months  at  a  time  entirely  cut  off  from  either  mail  or  tele- 
graphic communication  with  the  outside  world,  I  found  my- 
self in  charge  of  the  American  Consulate  at  Guadalajara,  Mex- 
ico, with  its  added  responsibilities,  during  the  most  turbulent, 
and  trying  times  of  the  late  revolutions  down  in  that  country, 
first-hand  accounts  of  which  it  is  the  purpose  of  these  chron- 
icles to  place  within  the  reach  of  whomsoever  may  care  to 
read  them. 

Pre-Revolutionary  Anti-American  Sentiments  Manifested 
in  Mexico. 

Up  to  a  year  or  so  before  the  Madero  revolution  was 
launched,  nearly  all  the  railroads  in  Mexico  were  owned  and 
operated  by  Americans.  All  positions  requiring  mechanical 
skill  or  technical  knowledge  were  filled  exclusively  by  Ameri- 
cans. Shortly  after  the  Mexican  Government  took  over  the 
control  of  the  railroads,  Sefior  Yves  Lim^ntour,  the  then  Sec-  (JU 
retary  of  State  of  Mexico,  inaugurated  a  campaign  to  Mex- 
icanize  the  railroad  service.  This  was  undoubtedly  done  in 
response  to  the  ever-increasing  popular  cry  of  "Mexico  for 
Mexicans." 

The  Clergy  of  Mexico  had  for  a  long  time  been  preaching 
to  their  parishioners  that  the  investment  of  so  much  American 
capital  a'nd  the  influx  of  so  many  Yankees  into  their  country 
was  a  masked  attempt  on  the  part  of  the  Gringos  to  American- 
ize Mexico. 


4    PRE-REVOLUTIONARY  ANTI-AMERICAN  SENTIMENT 

Senor  Limentour,  with  the  instinct  of  a  demagogue,  de- 
cided to  use  the  popular  sentiment  as  a  means  to  strengthen 
both  himself  and  the  Diaz  regime  with  the  Mexican  people. 
The  first  step  he  took  to  attain  his  object  was  to  issue  a  per- 
emptory order  to  the  American  employees  that  each  Ameri- 
can should  train  a  Mexican  apprentice  to  fill  his  place.  The 
Americans,  rightly  interpreting  the  writing  on  the  wall,  did 
not  wait  to  be  discharged  one  at  a  time,  but  quit  in  a  body  and 
returned  to  the  States,  where,  assisted  by  their  respective 
brotherhoods,  they  soon  found  positions  on  American  lines. 
The  sudden  exodus  of  the  American  employees,  left  the  Mex- 
ican management  in  a  bad  plight.  There  w^re  as  yet  few 
Mexicans  competent  to  fill  the  places  left  vacant  by  the  Amer- 
icans. Derailments,  collisions  and  locomotive  explosions 
were  a  daily  occurrence.  I  was  informed  that  within  six  weeks 
after  the  Americans  had  quit,  no  less  than  twenty-three  loco- 
motives were  disabled  by  explosions  alone. 

The  Public  became  distrustful,  and  the  more  timid  ones 
refused  to  risk  their  lives  on  the  Mexicanized  roads.  After 
the  rolling  stock  was  reduced  by  destruction  to  the  capacity 
of  the  few  skilled  Mexican  employees,  train  service  was  kept 
up  in  a  more  or  less  indifferent  manner. 

The  popular  slogan,  "Mexico  for  Mexicans,"  had  reached 
a  high  pitch  long  before  the  beginning  of  the  Madero  revolu- 
tion ;  and  although  the  anti-American  demonstrations  at  Guad- 
alajara on  the  10th  and  11th  of  November,  1910,  occurred 
soon  after  the  first  Mader^  outbreak,  they  had  no  relationship 
to  each  other  whatever. 

The  anti-American  demonstrations  at  Guadalajara  were 
preceded  a  week  or  so  before  by  demonstrations  of  a  like 
nature  in  Mexico  City,  which  were  inaugurated  by  the 
studentry  of  the  capital  as  a  protest  on  their  part  against  the 
lynching  in  the  State  of  Texas  of  an  assassin  by  the  name  of 
Dominguez,  which  had  been  done  a  short  time  previous. 


PRE-REVOLUTIONARY  ANTI-AMERICAN  SENTIMENT    5 

There  is  a  common  saying-  at  Guadalajara,  that  when  the 
studentry  of  Mexico  City  take  snuff,  the  studentry  of  Guada- 
lajara never  fail  to  sneeze. 

Later  investigations,  however,  clearly  established  the 
fact  that  the  lynched  Dominguez  was  not  a  Mexican  citizen 
at  all,  but  a  native  of  New  Mexico,  U.  S.  A.  Said  Dominguez 
had  ridden  up  to  an  out-of-the-way  ranch ;  found  a  defenseless 
American  woman;  murdered  her;  was  pursued  by  a  mob;  cap- 
tured; and — burned  at  stake.  His  captors  would  have  done 
the  same  thing,  had  the  culprit  been  a  Mexican,  an  American, 
or  a  citizen  of  any  other  country  under  the  sun ;  but  the  fact 
of  his  having  borne  a  Mexican  name,  was  sufficient  for  the 
Mexicans,  in  their  then  state  of  feeling,  and  this  Texas  in- 
cident only  served  to  fan  into  flame  the  embers  of  hatred 
that  had  been  smoldering-  among  them  for  some  time  before. 

During  the  anti-American  demonstrations  at  Guadalajara, 
Mexico,  on  the  nights  of  10th  and  11th  of  November,  1910, 
there  was  no  effort  made  by  either  city.  State,  or  National 
authorities  to  prevent,  or  even  modify  them,  until  after  blood 
was  shed,  by  the  killing  of  a  Mexican  boy,  by  American  citi- 
zen, Charles  B.  Corrothers,  except  that  given  the  American 
Consulate,  which  was  done  by  maintaining  a  body  of  gend- 
armes there  day  and  night,  and  posting — on  the  occasion  of 
riots — bodies  of  troops  at  the  street  crossings  on  either  side, 
to  prevent  the  mobs  from  reaching  the  Consulate.  But  not- 
withstanding, in  sight  of  the  Consulate,  a  contingent  of  the 
mobs,  headed  by  the  son  of  a  National  ''Diputado,"  (Con- 
gressman), at  one  of  the  street  crossings,  violated  an  Ameri- 
can flag,  by  spitting  on  it,  trampling  it  under  foot,  and  finally 
burning  it,  accompanying  these  acts  with  anti-American  ex- 
clamations of  the  most  insulting  nature. 

Indeed,  everything  pointed  to  the  contrary — (referring 
to  protection  of  Americans), — although,  at  the  time,  aside 
from  the  200  city  policemen,  and  a  reserve  of  State  gendarmes 


6    PRE-REVOLUTIONARY  ANTI-AMERICAN  SENTIMENT 

of  about  an  equal  number,  there  were  stationed  within  the 
city  limits  of  Guadalajara  some  2,500  Federal  troops.  These 
demonstrations,  first  started  by  the  local  students,  and  after- 
wards joined  in  by  all  classes  of  Mexicans,  were,  if  not  actu- 
ally encouraged  by  the  city.  State,  and  National  authorities, 
at  least  connived  at — by  them,  the  said  authorities,  severally, 
and,  collectively. 

The  mounted  police  following  after — (accompanying) — 
the  rioters,  and  some  of  the  infantry  police  while  on  their 
respective  beats,  instead  of  trying  to  repress  the  mob's  out- 
rages, actually  pointed  out  to  them,  from  time  to  time,  resi- 
dences of  American  citizens,  in  cases  where  the  rioters, 
through  want  of  knowledge,  were  about  to  pass  them  with- 
out doing  them  violence.  Moreover,  to  my  personal  knowl- 
edge, some  of  the  wealthier  classes,  from  their  respective 
balconies,  urged  the  mobs  on  by  heartily  cheering  them. 

During  these  demonstrations,  there  was  scarcely  an 
American  residence,  or  business  house,  which  did  not  suffer 
damage,  from  stonings,  and  smashing  doors  and  windows,  and 
in  a  few  instances,  actually  shooting  into  homes  occupied  by 
Americans.  Aside  from  the  case  of  Mr.  Corrothers — referring 
to  shooting  into  houses — was  that  of  Mr.  Michael  J.  Slattery, 
who  under  date  of  December,  1919,  in  answer  to  an  inquiry, 
wrote  to  me  as  follows :  "It  is  true  that  on  the  night  of  Nov- 
ember 11th,  1910,  our  home,  which  was  then  located  at  442 
Lopez  Cotillo  St.,  Guadalajara — about  five  blocks  from  the 
central  plaza — had  several  shots  fired  into  it,  and  nearly  every 
pane  of  glass  in  that  part  of  the  house  fronting  the  street  was 
demolished  by  rocks  and  other  missiles  thrown  by  the  mobs." 
Mr.  S.  is  now  living  in  Philadelphia,  830  N.  63rd  St. 

On  the  night  of  the  11th,  the  second  attack  was  made  on 
the  home  of  Mr.  Corrothers.  On  the  night  of  the  10th,  the 
mobs  contented  themselves  with  throwing  stones,  to  which 
no  resistance  was  being  made  by  any  of  the  Americans — 


PRE-REVOLUTIONARY  ANTI-AMERICAN  SENTIMENT    7 

(They  were  only  trying  to  keep  out  of  the  way  of  flying 
missiles) — but  on  the  night  of  the  11th,  after  the  mobs  had 
fired  several  shots  at  his  house,  Mr.  C.  returned  the  fire,  in- 
stantly killing  a  Mexican  boy  fifteen  years  of  age  and  wound- 
ing several  of  the  older  of  the  rioters.  The  news  of  this  oc- 
currence flew  by  telephone  and  otherwise  througtiout  the  city. 
Soon  a  large  crowd  of  Mexicans  had  gathered  in  San  Francisco 
Plaza,  and  were  planning  to  storm  the  home  of  Mr.  Corro- 
thers,  and  lynch  him. 

The  Municipal  Jefe  Politico,  Col.  Nicolas  Espafia,  hear- 
ing of  these  threats,  took  a  coach  and  hastened  to  the  resi- 
dence of  Mr.  Corrothers,  and  conducted  him  to  the  peniten- 
tiary; and  immediately  thereafter,  through  the  city  police 
under  his  command,  dispersed  all  the  mobs,  thus  putting  an 
end  to  further  outrages.  This,  in  itself,  furnished  sufficient 
proof  of  the  fact  that  such  could  have  been  done  at  any  time 
the  authorities  might  have  wished. 

Mr.  Corrothers  was  carried  to  the  penitentiary  as  a  pre- 
cautionary measure,  and  not  as  a  prisoner.  After  all  excite- 
ment over  the  occurrence  had  subsided,  he  was  put  at  liberty, 
and  did  not  suflfer  further  molestation  on  account  of  having 
tried  to  defend  his  family  and  home. 

The  authorities  knew  beforehand  of  these  pending  der 
onstrations,  and  could  have  forestalled  them,  but  there  w? 
not  any  effort  made  to  do  so.  On  the  contrary;  the  morni  ^ 
before  the  demonstrations  were  scheduled  to  take  place,  Go<^- 
ernor  Miguel  Ahumada  went  to  Guanajuatlan,  30  kilometers 
distant,  pretending  to  spend  a  few  days  by  way  of  diversion, 
thinking  perhaps,  by  this  means,  to  escape  direct  responsibil- 
ity ;  but  in  the  opinion  of  the  writer — and  many  others — it  was 
a  deliberate  act  of  connivance  on  his  part — rather,  of  licensing 
— the  prearranged  performances,  and  it  was  so  construed,  and 
acted  upon,  by  the  studentry  and  populace  of  Guadalajara. 
And  these  outrages  against  Americans,  were  perpetrated  dur- 
ing the  much  lauded  regime  of  Don  Porfirio  Diaz! 


EXEMPLIFYING  POPULAR  FREE  GOVERNMENT 


CHAPTER  TWO 

HOW  POPULAR  FREE  GOVERNMENT  IS  EXEMPLI- 
FIED IN  THE  REPUBLIC  OF  MEXICO 

NOTE  : — The  Madero  revolution ;  the  abdication  and  flight 
of  President  Diaz ;  the  assumption  of  the  Presidency  by  Fran- 
cisco Madero;  the  Assassination  of  President  Madero  and 
Vice  President  Pino  S^arez,  (in  February,  1913;)  the  imme- 
diate succession  of  General  Huerta  to  the  Provisional  Presi- 
dency, and  his  so-called  election  to  succeed  himself  in  the  fall 
of  1913 ;  the  refusal  of  the  Washington  Government  to  recog- 
nize the  Huerta  Government  at  any  time;  the  Carranza  coun- 
ter revolutions;  the  abdication  and  flight  of  Huerta;  the  suc- 
cession of  General  Carranza  to  the  Presidency;  already  mat- 
ters of  history,  will  not  be  the  purpose  of  these  chronicles  to 
refer  to,  except  incidentally. 

November  1st,  1915. 
Early  after  the  so-called  Presidential  elections  in  1913, 
when  General  Huerta  had  been  declared  elected  to  succeed 
himself  as  President  of  Mexico,  the  Charge  d'  Affairs  of  the 
American  Embassy,  Mr.  Nelson  O'Shaugnessy,  requested  me 
to  render  him  a  report  as  to  how  said  elections  had  been  con- 
ducted in  my  Consular  District,  to  which  the  following  was 
sent: 

Guadalajara,  Mexico,  October  29th,  1913. 
Hon.  Nelson  O'Shaugnessy, 

Charge  d'  Affairs,  Mexico  City,  D.  F. 
Sir : — In  answer  to  your  inquiry  of  26th,  I  beg  to  say,  that 
the  elections  went  off  quietly  here.  There  were  reported  to 
have  been  cast,  in  this  city  of  200,000  population,  about  three 
hundred  votes.  At  about  6  o'clock  P.  M.,  the  Jefe  Politico 
had  all  the  voting  booths  visited,  the  boxes  containing  the 
votes  gathered  in,  and — that  was  the  last  heard  of  the  matter. 


EXEMPLIFYING  POPULAR  FREE  GOVERNMENT    9 

I  understand  that  the  same  procedure  was  fqllowed  through- 
out this  Consular  District. 

The  election  judges  (as  we  call  them  in  our  country)  in 
no  precinct  here  seem  to  know  any  more  about  who  might 
have  received  a  majority  of  the  few  votes  cast  than  some 
Hottentot,  in  his  native  lair,  or  an  Australian  boomeranger 
just  emerging  from  a  siesta. 

That  is  all,  except  to  say  that  the  public  in  general  are 
thoroughly  disgusted  at  what  they  call  a  political  farce — a 
travesty  on  justice — a  mammoth  stunt  of  hypocrjjl^y. 

I  am  Sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

(Signed)     WILL  B.  DAVIS, 

American  Vice  Consul. 

The  foregoing  letter  gave  a  fair  account  of  those  elec- 
tions; and  if  I  had  written  more  at  length,  I  do  not  think  I 
could  have  added  anything  material  to  the  subject,  except  to 
say  (as  Mr.  O.  S.  must  already  have  known)  that  no  one 
but  a  few  local  officers  and  soldiers  were  seen  to  enter  any 
of  the  voting  booths  during  the  whole  time  the  polls  were 
open. 

November  15th,  1913. 

Yesterday,  the  Legislature  of  this  State  refused  to  re- 
turn the  names  of  the  two  men  selected  by  the  Huerta  Gov- 
ernment to  be  chosen  as  Senators  to  the  Federal  Congress 
from  the  State  of  Jalisco. 

Governor  Rojas  at  once  called  out  the  soldiery  and 
threatened  the  whole  body  of  Legislators  with  immediate  im- 
prisonment, if  they  further  refused  to  return  the  names  sub- 
mitted as  duly  and  legally  elected.  The  Legislators  then  "re- 
considered" their  former  action,  and  voted  unanimously  in 
favor  of  returning  the  names  of  the  two  persons  submitted 
as  "legally"  elected  by  the  sovereign  subjects  of  the  State  of 
Jalisco,  to  the  National  Senate  of  the  United  States  of  Mex- 


10   EXEMPLIFYING  POPULAR  FREE  GOVERNMENT 

ico.  I  will  add  that  both  the  present  Governor,  and  State 
Legislature,  owe  their  official  positions  to  the  Madero 
regime. 

Could  anyone  imagine  anything  more  ridiculously  arbi- 
trary? 

Think  of  it!  The  Governor  and  Legislature  of  the  State 
of  Jalisco,  themselves  chosen  during,  and  continued  over 
from  the  Madero  Government,  being  compelled,  by  force  of 
arms,  to  vote  for  and  elect  ( ?)  to  the  National  Assembly  per- 
sons selected  by  the  chief  assassin  of  President  Madero!! 

And  yet  they  pretend  to  maintain  a  Republican  form  of 
Government  down  here — a  Government  by  the  people!! 

But  this  should  not  impress  you  as  being  so  strange,  for 
if  I  remember  correctly,  you  were  present  "once  upon  a  time" 
when  one  of  our  best  friends  among  the  Mexican  high  offi- 
cials while  ridiculing  to  us  the  idea  of  such  a  thing  as  really 
holding  elections  anywhere  in  Mexico,  frankly  stated  in  sup- 
port of  his  assertion  that  neither  he,  nor  any  of  his  associates, 
had  ever  pretended  to  do  such  a  thing  as  cast  a  vote  in  all 
their  lives!  He  laughed  at  the  thought  of  holding  elections 
in  Mexico ! ! ! 

I  think  it  was  in  1904 — while  you  were  yet  here — that  a 
Presidential  election  was  being  held  on  a  Sunday.  I  was  at- 
tending a  sick  child  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  H.  Kipp,  a  short 
distance  above  us  on  Placeres  Street.  A  vacant  house  just 
opposite  the  Kipp  home  was  being  used  as  a  voting  booth. 
I  asked  Mrs.  K.  to  have  the  place  closely  watched,  to  ascer- 
tain as  nearly  as  she  could,  the  number  of  votes  that  might 
be  cast.  On  my  last  visit  about  6  P.  M.,  I  asked  Mrs.  Kipp 
if  a  strict  count  had  been  kept  of  the  number  of  voters.  She 
said  yes;  that  she  and  her  servants  had  kept  a  close  watch 
all  day  long,  and  that  not  one  person  had  been  seen  to  enter 
the  voting  booth.  And  this,  you  will  remember,  was  in  one 
of  the  most  populous  sections  of  the  city.     Just  as  I  was 


EXEMPLIFYING  POPULAR  FREE  GOVERNMENT        11 

leaving  the  Kipp  home,  I  saw  the  "election  judge"  (there 
was  only  one,  and  he  wore  a  soldier's  uniform)  take  up  his 
chair,  the  supposed  ballot  box  and  a  tripod  table  and  walk 
away.  In  all  of  the  papers  of  the  next  day  there  appeared 
flaming  accounts  of  the  elections,  telling  that  Don  Porfirio 
Diaz  had  been  unanimously  elected  to  succeed  himself  as 
President ! ! ! 


12  EFFORTS  TO  FORCE  AMERICANS'  SUPPORT 


CHAPTER  THREE 

DEVOTED  PRINCIPALLY  TO  TELLING  HOW  MEX- 
ICAN AUTHORITIES  TRIED  TO  COMPEL 
AMERICAN  CITIZENS  TO  SUP- 
PORT ARMED  FORCES 

January  19th,  1914. 
I  am  hereinbelow  transmitting  a  translation,  from  Span- 
ish, of  my  correspondence  with  the  Governor  of  the  State  of 
Michoican  on  the  subject  of  "Protest  Against  American  Citi- 
zens Paying  Forced  Loans  to  Maintain  Federal  Troops  in 
the  State  of  Michoican." 

Guadalajara,  Mexico,  January  18th,  1914. 
General  Jesus  Garza  Gonzales, 

Governor  of  the  State  of  Michojfcan. 
Highly  Esteemed  Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  say  to  your 
Excellency,  that  day  before  yesterday,  I  sent  a  telegram  ad- 
dressed to  "The  Governor  of  the  State  of  Michoican,"  as  fol- 
lows: "Following  the  instructions  of  my  Government,  I 
formally  protest  against  the  forced  loan  for  maintaining  a 
Federal  Army — or  any  other  armed  force — in  the  State  of 
Micho/can  by  American  property  owners."  To  which  tele- 
gram your  answer  was  as  follows :  "By  the  terms  of  your 
message  of  this  date,  I  suppose  that  you  address  this  Govern- 
ment in  an  official  character,  which  you  claim,  but  as  your 
official  standing  is  unknown  to  me,  please  address  yourself 
through  the  proper  channels."  To  this  I  have  to  rejoin  that, 
although  your  Excellency  is  correct  in  intimating  that  I  am 
not  officially  accredited  to  the  Government  of  the  State  of 
Michoican,  the  fact  remains  nevertheless,  that  no  Govern- 
ment has  the  right  to  force  foreigners  to  take  part,  directly, 


EFFORTS  TO  FORCE  AMERICANS'  SUPPORT  13 

or  indirectly,  in  armed  conflicts,  whatever  their  character. 
The  loan  to  which  I  referred  in  my  telegram  does  not  diifer 
in  principle  from  another  measure  proposed  in  your  State 
some  time  since,  requiring  hacendados  to  maintain  at  their 
own  expense,  each  hacendado,  ten  armed  men,  except  in  its 
modus  operandi.  In  your  proclamation  promulgating  the  act 
of  the  Legislature  of  the  State  of  Michc^can  as  to  the  forced 
loan,  your  Excellency  does  not  only  state  that  it  is  to  be  a 
"forced  loan,"  but  also  "that  said  loan  is  for  the  purpose  of 
maintaining  Federal  troops  in  the  State  of  Micho^can,"  thus 
leaving  no  doubt  as  to  the  purpose  of  the  loan. 

While  in  principle,  the  two  propositions  do  not  differ, 
there  might  be  a  difference  in  their  ultimate  effects  in  this: 
That  the  American  property  owners  might  not  expose  them- 
selves so  openly  to  the  vengeance  of  your  enemies  in  the 
forced  loan  proposition,  as  they  would  do  if  caught  in  the  act 
of  maintaining,  at  their  own  expense,  ten  armed  men  against 
them. 

As  for  regular  taxes  levied,  although  they  might  be 
doubled,  we  might  not  have  the  right  to  make  this  protest, 
but  in  the  case  of  a  forced  loan,  making  known  beforehand 
that  it  is  for  the  purpose  of  maintaining  armed  troops  in  the 
State  of  Michofcan — yes,  your  Excellency,  we  have  the  right 
to  protest  energetically,  as  foreigners,  at  such  violations  of 
international  obligations,  and  consequently,  if  the  American 
property  owners  in  the  State  of  Michoijcan  should  refuse  to 
comply  with  your  decree  in  this  matter,  they  will  do  it  ad- 
visedly; and  if  they  should  be  compelled  to  pay,  by  force, 
they  will  do  it  under  positive  protests,  reserving  not  only  the 
right  to  file  claims  for  specific  amounts  so  contributed,  but 
for  constructive  damages  also. 

In  addressing  myself  directly  to  your  Excellency,  I  fol- 
lowed the  instructions  of  my  Government,  the  same  as  I  had 
heretofore  done  with  your  predecessors  in  the  State  of  Mich- 


14     EFFORTS  TO  FORCE  AMERICANS'  SUPPORT 

ofcan,  regarding  other  subjects,  in  thorough  friendship  and 
courtesy,  and  I  profess  to  your  Excellency  assurances  of  my 
highest  estimation  and  respect  for  yourself. 

I  hope  that  it  will  not  prove  necessary  to  press  the  sub- 
ject of  this  correspondence  further,  either  through  channels 
already  followed,  or  others,  as  from  now  on,  the  determina- 
tion of  the  matter  will  remain  with  the  Government  of  the 
State  of  Micho^can  and  the  American  property  owners  of  that 
entity;  until  my  Government  might  take  it  up  with  the  Fed- 
eral Government  of  Mexico;  and  it  was  for  the  purpose  of 
avoiding  these  molestations  that  this  letter  is  written — as 
well  as  that  which  causes  me  to  write  so  fully  to  your  Excel- 
lency— notwithstanding  your  telegram  of  protest  of  last 
Friday. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be.  Sir,  your  obedient  servant, 
(Signed)     WILL  B.  DAVIS, 

American  Vice  Consul. 

I  did  not  hear  further  from  Governor  Gonzales  on  the 
subject,  but  the  proposed  tax  was  not  enforced  against  the 
American  property  owners  in  the  State  of  Micho/can. 

I  have  been  informed  that  this  General  Gonzales  was  a 
graduate  of  Chapultepec  (the  so-called  West  Point  of  Mex- 
ico), which  would  have  caused  one  to  suppose  that  he  must 
have  known  he  was  attempting  to  violate  the  rights  of  for- 
eigners in  his  State.  His  telegram  to  me  was  of  an  evasive 
nature  (a  la  Mexicana),  but  did  not  have  the  effect  that  I 
felt  sure  he  expected  it  would.  Other  proofs  of  this  Mexican 
penchant  to  force  foreigners  to  support  their  military  opera- 
tions will  be  given  further  on ;  but  following  our  chrono- 
logical plan,  we  will  now  return  to  the  subject  of  the  anti- 
Americanisms  of  the  Mexicans  by  episodically  introducing 
some  interesting  happenings,  which  will  be  related  in  the 
next  chapter. 


PORTRAYING  ANTI-AMERICAN  SENTIMENTS  15 


CHAPTER  FOUR 

BEING  AN  ACCOUNT  OF  OTHER  MEXICAN  WAYS 

OF    EXPRESSING   THEIR   ANTI-AMERICAN 

SENTIMENTS 

February  13th,  1914. 

I  am  herewith  enclosing  a  cartoon  and  comments  from  a 
local  paper  which  as  nearly  illustrates  the  feeling  existing 
here  as  could  well  be  expressed. 

Admiral  Cowl^,  with  several  officers  from  the  U.  S.  S. 
Pittsburg,  spent  a  few  days  here  (1st  to  5th)  this  month. 
On  the  2d,  106  "bluejackets"  also  came,  and  were  here  two 
or  three  days.  Some  Japanese  naval  officers,  on  their  return 
trip  from  Mexico  City  to  Manzanillo,  were  here  at  the  same 
time.  The  Japanese  were  profusely  entertained — made 
guests  of  the  city  while  here.  The  presence  of  Admiral 
Cowls  and  staff  was  ignord  by  everybody  except  the  Ameri- 
cans. 

The  reference,  in  the  local  sheet,  under  the  heading,  "El 
Evangelio  del  Dia,"  on  the  behavior  of  the  American  sailors, 
is  a  slander.  The  boys  had  a  good  time — were  royally  enter- 
tained by  the  members  of  the  American  colony — went  away 
rejoicing,  after  two  days'  rounds  of  continued  feastings,  etc., 
etc.,  without  there  having  occurred  a  disturbance.  They 
were  a  fine  lot  of  young  fellows — on  their  very  best  be- 
havior— and  created  a  favorable  impression  among  all  classes, 
notwithstanding  the  deep-rooted  prejudice  among  the  natives 
here  against  them — expressed  in  the  cartoon  and  editorial 
under  the  Scripturally  couched  heading,  "El  Evangelio  del 
Dia." 

On  another  occasion  (there  had  not  been  any  abatement 
of  anti-American  sentiment  on  the  part  of  the  Mexican  popu- 


16  PORTRAYING  ANTI-AMERICAN  SENTIMENTS 

lation)  Japanese  Minister  to  Mexico,  Senor  Agatchi,  and  staff, 
passed  through  Guadalajara  on  his  way  to  the  Capitol,  after 
having  landed  at  Manzanillo. 

The  Ayuntamiento  (City  Council)  of  Guadalajara  pre- 
vailed upon  Senor  Agatchi  to  delay  his  journey  and  spend  a 
day  at  Guadalajara  as  the  city's  guest,  when  they,  the  rnem- 
bers  of  the  Ayuntamiento,  surely  did  "put  the  big  pot  in  the 
little  one"  in  their  efforts  at  entertainment.  These  and  simliar 
pro-Japanese  manifestations  were  not  anything  else  than  so 
many  masqued  anti-American  demonstrations;  for  the  Mex- 
icans were  under  the  impression  that  very  highly  strained 
relations  existed  between  the  United  States  and  Japan  in  those 
days. 

An  amusing  incident  took  place  in  the  dining  room  of  a 
hotel  on  the  occasion  of  Admiral  Cowl's  visit  as  follows: 
The  Japanese  crowd,  in  charge  of  their  Mexican  entertainers, 
were  being  conducted  to  a  specially  arranged  banquet  board 
in  the  dining  room  of  the  Hotel  Fenix,  when,  spying  some 
of  the  members  of  Admiral  Cowls'  staff  at  tables  in  a  differ- 
ent quarter  of  the  hall,  they  suddenly  broke  away  from  their 
Mexican  guides  and  went  over  to  greet  the  American  officers. 
Very  warm  expressions  of  pleasure  at  so  unexpectedly  meet- 
ing each  other  again,  were  mutually  indulged  in.  This  exhibi- 
tion of  cordiality  on  the  part  of  the  officers  of  both  nationali- 
ties was  so  completely  foreign  to  (beyond  the  mental  horizon 
of)  Mexican  expectations  that  a  very  visible  sense  of  con- 
fusion supervened  among  them  and  embarrassed  them  so  that 
the  remainder  of  their  programme  of  festivities  was  only  me- 
chanically— sans  enthusiasm — eked  out. 

NOTE :  During  these  times  (and  until  its  final  fall)  the 
Huerta  Government  found  itself  in  rather  a  bad  way,  trying 
to  maintain  itself. 

The  Carrancista  forces  in  the  North  were  making  con- 
siderable   headway,    while    the  Zapatistas    in    the  States    of 


PORTRAYING  ANTI-AMERICAN  SENTIMENTS  17 

Guerrero  and  Michojfcan  were  becoming  monotonously  irri- 
tating to  the  Huerta  Government. 

The  Guadalajara  district  was  yet  (and  until  the  follow- 
ing July)  under  the  control  of  the  Huerta  Government,  with 
General  Mier  in  charge  of  the  Western  Division,  with  head- 
quarters at  Guadalajara. 

The  continued  non-recognition  by  President  Wilson  of 
the  Huerta  Government;  the  permitting  by  the  Washington 
Government  of  exportation  of  arms  and  munitions  to  the 
Carrancistas ;  the  Tampico  incident,  and  Huerta's  continued 
refusal  to  comply  with  Admiral  Mayo's  demands,  etc.,  etc., 
added  to  the  already  highly  pitched  anti-American  sentiment, 
made  the  life  of  an  American  citizen  at  Guadalajara  anything 
but  pleasant.  Nevertheless,  our  personal  friends  among  the 
Mexicans  (and  I  think  such  was  the  case  with  nearly  all  my 
countrymen)  continued  to  treat  us  with  as  much  courtesy 
as  formerly,  though  at  times  with  visible  effort.  There  were 
a  few  would-be  bullies  among  the  Americans,  but  they  were 
kept  curbed  by  the  more  sane — and  truly  brave — members  of 
our  colony.  The  conduct  of  the  Americans  throughout  all 
our  sequential  trials  was  very  commendable. 

•All  Americans  were  counselled  not  to  discuss  either  the 
Mexican  or  Mexican-American  situation  in  any  manner  what- 
soever, and  to  keep  well  indoors  at  night.  This  advice  was 
generally  heeded. 

Such  was  about  the  state  of  affairs  at  Guadalajara  up  to 
the  20th  of  April,  1914,  which  was,  as  everybody  knows,  the 
day  on  which  the  Americans  landed  at,  and  began  their  occu- 
pation of  Vera  Cruz. 


18  NEWS  OF  THE  FALL  OF  VERA  CRUZ 


CHAPTER  FIVE 

THE  NEWS  OF  THE  FALL  OF  VERA  CRUZ— HOW 

IT  WAS  RECEIVED  AT  GUADALAJARA;  SOME 

INTERESTING    INCIDENTS    THERETO 

APPERTAINING 

San  Diego,  California,  May  10,  1914. 

Quiet  reigned  all  the  morning  and  afternoon  of  April 
20th,  1914,  at  Guadalajara,  but  it  was  an  ominous  sort  of 
quiet.  There  seemed  to  be  something  in  the  atmosphere  that 
caused  everybody  to  feel  profoundly  anxious,  but  no  one 
could  tell  another  what  it  was  all  about. 

The  oscillations  of  an  earthquake,  or  threatening  be- 
haviors of  a  nearby  volcano  would  not  have  produced  greater 
feelings  of  incertitude  than  seemed  to  possess  the  population 
of  Guadalajara  on  that  day.  If  the  military  authorities  had 
received  advices  from  Mexican  City  or  elsewhere,  they  did 
not  give  anything  out.  But  while  at  supper,  at  7  P.  M.,  the 
writer  was  hastily  summoned  by  one  of  the  attendants  to  the 
patio  (an  open  space),  from  which  could  be  seen  and  heard 
all  that  was  going  on  in  the  spacious  hall  below,  the  same 
being  the  Palacio  Cristal,  the  leading  refreshment  resort  of 
the  city. 

The  place  was  filled  to  overflowing  with  excited  Mex- 
icans; and  mounted  on  a  table  near  the  center  of  the  hall, 
stood  Sefior  Antonio  Perez  Verdia,  waving  a  paper  in  one 
hand  and  gesticulating  with  the  other,  loudly  proclaiming  the 
news  of  the  landing  of  American  forces  at  Vera  Cruz. 

Sefior  Verdia  harrangued  the  crowd  for  some  time,  not 
forgetting,  in  the  course  of  his  excited — and  inciting — re- 
marks to  laud  in  glowing  colors  what  he  was  pleased  to  term 
the  well  known  valor  and  patriotism  of  the  noble  Mexican, 


NEWS  OF  THE  FALL  OF  VERA  CRUZ        19 

as  well  as  to  luridly  anathematise  the  abominible  bragodocio 
spirit,  the  treacherous  diplomacy  and  notorious  cowardice  of 
the  contemptible  Yankee!  From  this,  and  similar  nuclei, 
aided  by  later  editions  of  the  evening  press,  the  news  spread 
over  the  city;  the  streets  were  rapidly  filled  with  excited 
throngs,  and  the  night  was  made  hideous  (for  Americans)  by 
a  continuous  medley  of  execratice  howls  and  yells  of  ven- 
geance, the  like  of  which  I  never  heard  before  and  hope  I 
may  never  hear  again. 

Until  I  had  gone  to  sleep  on  this  and  the  three  night  fol- 
lowing, I  repeatedly  heard,  among  other  less  distinguishable 
exclamations,  "Muere  el  Consul  Americano"  (death  to  the 
American  Consul) — more  distinctly  heard  by  me  because  ut- 
tered especially  for  my  ears. 

Through  all  of  each  of  the  four  nights  that  I  had  to  put 
up  with  this,  I  was  not  sure  but  I  might  be  hauled  out  of  bed 
by  the  mobs.  But  my  concern  was  more  for  the  Americans 
living  in  less  protected  districts  of  the  city  and  elsewhere. 

The  majority  of  Americans  living  at  Guadalajara  quickly 
took  refuge  in  the  British  Consulate — some  after  having  been 
hotly  chased  by  Mexicans. 

I  did  not  have  a  personal  enemy  among  the  entire  Mexi- 
can population ;  and  many  Mexicans,  by  telephone  or  per- 
sonal visits,  tried  to  assure  me  that  they  would  exert  their 
utmost  in  my  behalf  in  any  event.  Especially  was  this  the 
case  when,  not  yet  having  received  instructions  from  my  Gov- 
ernment, they  were  told  that  I  would  not  abandon  my  post 
until  such  orders  were  received ;  or,  that  I  was  ordered  out 
by  the  Mexican  authorities.  By  8  P.  M.  (20th)  the  Mexican 
population  of  Guadalajara  had  given  themselves  over  to  pro- 
cessions in  the  streets  and  meetings  at  public  resorts,  where 
anti-American  speechmakings  and  expressions  depreciatory 
of  American,  and  lauditory  of  Mexican,  valor  and  patriotism 
were  indulged  in  to  late  hours. 


20        NEWS  OF  THE  FALL  OF  VERA  CRUZ 

By  10  A.  M.  (21st)  the  whole  Mexican  population  seemed 
to  be  out  and,  moved  by  one  sentiment — that  of  war  and  ven- 
geance against  the  Americans — and  their  frenzy  grew  with 
such  rapidity  that  I  was  fearful  of  mob  violence. 

All  of  our  countrymen  were  advised  to  remain  indoors, ' 
and  not  to  expose  themselves  at  windows  and  balconies. 
Many  Americans  were  ready  to  entrain  for  Manzanillo  on 
the  morning  of  the  22d,  when  we  were  informed  there  would 
be  no  train  that  day,  but  not  until  after  a  large  number  had 
gathered  at  the  station. 

I  sent  a  note  to  General  Mier  as  soon  as  I  had  learned 
these  facts,  asking  for  an  audience  with  him  at  the  earliest 
moment  he  could  spare.  He  appointed  4  P.  M.  This  did  not 
suit  me,  as  the  scheduled  time  of  trains  for  Manzanillo  was 
8:40,  and  I  asked  the  British  Consul,  Mr.  Percy  G.  Holmes,  to 
go  at  once  to  General  Mier,  ascertain  first,  as  to  what  protec- 
tion he  contemplated  giving  Americans;  and,  second,  when 
we  might  expect  a  train  for  Manzanillo  to  depart. 

The  Governor  answered  that  all  foreigners  would  be  pro- 
tected; but  as  to  a  train  for  Manzanillo,  under  no  circum- 
stances would  he  permit  a  train  to  leave  until  he  was  assured 
that  there  were  no  American  men-of-war  at  that  port,  or  near 
enough  to  reach  there  before  such  train  might  begin  its  re- 
turn trip — for,  as  he  explained,  such  might  be  only  furnishing 
Americans  facilities  for  the  transportation  of  troops  to  the 
interior. 

The  whole  of  Wednesday  was  passed  in  this  state  of  sus- 
pense, and  it  was  not  until  late  in  the  night  that  we  received 
word  that  a  train  would  leave  Thursday  morning  (23d)  for 
Manzanillo.  All  Americans  were  notified  accordingly,  and  I 
was  kept  busy  arranging  transportation  until  the  train  de- 
parted, one  item  being  the  securing,  by  paying  in  advance  for 
same,  a  special  car  for  the  Americans. 

The  Convoy  left  Guadalajara  at  10:40  A.  M.,  with  all  the 


NEWS  OF  THE  FALL  OF  VERA  CRUZ        21 

Americans  who  could  leave  then  (104  in  number),  under  the 
charge  of  Mr.  Michael  Slattery,  of  Philadelphia. 

At  1 :30  P.  M.,  on  the  22d,  while  I  was  out  to  lunch,  the 
mobs  tore  down  the  Consulate  coat  of  arms  from  above  the 
door  at  the  entrance  on  Lopez  Cotillo  Street,  defiled  it,  and, 
I  was  told  by  several  Mexicans,  dragged  it  through  the 
streets  all  the  balance  of  the  afternoon.  At  2  :20  P.  M.,  after 
I  had  returned  to  the  Consulate,  the  coat  of  arms  on  the  second 
story  balcony,  fronting  San  Francisco  Street,  was  stoned, 
several  of  the  missiles  reaching  the  interior  of  the  Consulate. 
I  at  once  sent  a  note  to  General  Mier,  relating  these  occur- 
rences, and  saying:  "As  my  Government  has  not  ordered  me 
to  close  this  Consulate,  and  as  I  have  not  received  any  official 
request  on  the  part  of  the  Mexican  Government  to  do  so,  I 
earnestly  ask  of  your  Excellency  such  protection  of  this  Con- 
sulate, and  of  my  countrymen  and  their  property  that  might 
be  expected  any  civilized  Government  would  extend  to  de- 
fenseless foreigners  within  its  territory,"  and  marked  the 
message  "urgent." 

General  Mier  did  not  answer  my  note  formally  at  the 
time,  but  through  one  of  his  aids  assured  my  messenger  that 
he  would  take  necessary  steps  to  comply  with  my  request. 
I  received  his  formal  note  of  reply  the  next  day,  reiterating 
assurances,  etc.  Nevertheless  that  same  night — meantime — 
the  Consular  coat  of  arms  fronting  San  Francisco  Street,  was 
also  torn  down  and  defiled. 

Throughout  Wednesday  and  Thursday  (22d  and  23d), 
both  day  and  night,  demonstrations  continued  to  gather  in 
force.  Thursday  afternoon  and  night  were  especially  alarm- 
ing. 

After  the  departure  of  the  Manzanillo  train  on  Thursday 
morning  I  carried  such  materials  as  I  might  need  in  facili- 
tating the  transportation  for  Americans,  to  my  hotel,  for  I 
feared  that  my  goings  to  and  from  the  Consulate  would  only 


22  FLIGHT   OF   AMERICANS   OUT   OF   MEXICO 

aggravate  the  already  constantly  heard  exclamations,  "Muere 
el  Consul  Americano!"  By  the  use  of  the  telephone  and  our 
messenger  boy  (a  San  Salvadorian)  I  was  able  to  keep  in 
touch  with  the  Consulate  and  the  Consular  Clerk  (an  Ameri- 
can who  had  been  raised  at  Guadalajara),  and  in  this  manner 
I  worked  up  to  Friday  morning  (24th),  when,  at  10:30  A.  M., 
I  was  handed  a  telegram  from  Consul  General  Arnold  Shank- 
lin,  of  Mexico  City,  dated  23d,  which  read:  "I  am  directed 
by  the  Honorable  Nelson  O'Shaughnessey,  Charge  d'Affaires 
here,  that  inasmuch  as  he  was  last  night  handed  his  passport 
by  the  Provisional  Government  of  Mexico,  he  will  leave  to- 
night; you  are  instructed  to  quit  the  territory  of  the  United 
States  of  Mexico  immediately;  leaving  your  Consular  office 
in  the  hands  of  the  nearest  Consular  representative  of  a 
friendly  nation.  I  leave,  with  my  staff,  on  the  train  furnished 
Mr.  O'Shaughnessey." 

Guadalajara  to  Manzanillo 
Having  been  assured  that  a  train  would  leave  at  10:30 
that  morning  for  Manzanillo, — I  had  been  at  work  nearly  all 
night,  and  up  to  the  time  of  receiving  the  above  telegram — 
facilitating  the  exit  of  Americans;  and  had  just  finished  ar- 
ranging with  Mr.  D.  M.  Pyle,  by  having  him  sign  the  voucher 
and  I  furnishing  transportation  money  for  fifty-one  Ameri- 
cans, and  telling  a  half  dozen  others  who  were  waiting,  to 
hurry  to  the  station — that  I  would  meet  them  and  arrange 
matters  there — when  the  British  Vice  Consul  came  upstairs, 
panting  from  hurry  and  excitement,  and  informed  me  that  he 
had  just  received  a  peremptory  order  from  General  Mier  to 
the  effect  that  I  and  all  other  Americans  must  get  out  on 
that  morning's  train;  as  afterward  he  would  not  promise  us 
any  protection  whatever.  I  at  once  turned  the  American 
Consular  affairs  over  to  Mr.  Holmes;  asked  him  to  meet 
me  at  the  station  later,  when  I  would  give  him  written  au- 
thority  "To  Whom   It   May   Concern"    (which   was   done) ; 


FLIGHT  OF  AMERICANS   OUT   OF  MEXICO  23 

hurried  to  my  mother's  room  to  warn  her  that  we  had  only 
45  minutes  in  which  to  be  ready  to  leave  for  the  railroad 
station ;  went  to  my  own  room  and  slam-banged  into  a  couple 
of  valises  such  things  as  I  could  think  of  at  the  time;  or- 
dered a  coach,  and  we  were  off.  The  trip  from  our  hotel  to 
the  railroad  station — about  five  blocks — was  very  trying. 
Everyone  seemed  to  know  that  my  mother  and  self  were 
leaving  Guadalajara.  The  menacing  countenances  and  ges- 
tures toward  us,  and  the  oral  insults  offered  to  everything 
American,  were  indescribable  for  their  malignity.  Fortu- 
nately, my  mother,  then  82  years  of  age,  as  you  know,  though 
she  did  not  understand  the  Spanish  language,  she  understood 
the  menacing  countenances  and  gestures  quite  well  enough 
to  make  her  fearful  they  would  drag  me  from  the  coach.  At 
the  station  it  was  comparatively  quiet  on  account  of  precau- 
tions which  had  been  taken  by  order  of  General  Mier.  My 
party  consisted  of  102  Americans,  as  ascertained  after  the  de- 
parture of  our  train.  From  the  best  estimates  I  have  been 
able  to  make — with  the  assistance  of  those  in  our  party — there 
were  remaining,  after  our  departure,  some  75  American  citi- 
zens in  the  Guadalajara  Consular  District. 

I  will  mention  that  of  these  75  people  there  were  only 
two  full-blooded  Americans,  and  that  they  were  out  at  mines, 
where  they  remained,  in  comparative  safety ;  the  remainder  of 
the  75  being  Mexican- American  hybrids  (or  something),  who 
could  pass  immune  through  those  times — perhaps  better  in 
Mexico  than  in  the  States ;  and  then  there  were  some  hyphen- 
ates, of  various  nationalities,  whose  pretensions  to  American 
citizenship  were  never  in  evidence,  except  when  seeking  pro- 
tection from  Mexican  voracities — Americans  for  protection 
only. 

It  was  a  great  relief  to  me  to  receive  official  instructions 
to  leave  Mexico,  in  whatever  pell-mell  manner  I  had  to  at- 
tempt it. 


24     OUR  TRIP  FROM  GUADALAJARA  TO  MANZANILLO 

The  probable  dangers  yet  ahead,  in  the  356  kilometers  by 
rail  to  Manzanillo — our  then  only  exit — and  the  uncertainty 
of  finding  any  kind  of  a  vessel  in  that  port  on  which  to  at 
least  take  refuge  presented  not  a  very  pleasant  prospect. 
Our  people,  in  transit  from  Guadalajara  to  Manzanillo,  were 
reviled  by  the  gathered  mobs  at  every  station,  and  on  one  oc- 
casion we  all  would  probably  have  been  massacred  had  not 
the  train  crew,  realizing  danger,  precipitately  pulled  the  train 
out  of  the  station  and  kept  going  under  a  full  head  of  steam ; 
but  the  watchful  precautions  exercised  all  along  the  route  by 
the  train  crew  did  not,  in  this  instance,  prevent  a  number  of 
the  would-be  assassins  from  piling  onto  the  paltforms  of  the 
cars.    Two  of  the  more  daring  ones  entered  our  car. 

The  menacing  demonstrations,  accompanied  by  cries  of 
"Muere  los  Americanos!"  (death  to  the  Americans)  by  sev- 
eral thousand  maddened  Mexican  rioters,  caused  not  a  pleas- 
ant experience  for  us  on  this  occasion — least  to  our  women 
and  children.  Several  of  the  ladies  fainted.  When  the  train 
began  to  make  such  speed  that  those  of  the  rioters  who  had 
boarded  the  platforms  realized  that  the  convoy  was  leaving 
the  station,  they  tumbled  off  as  best  they  could ;  but  the  train 
had  gotten  under  considerable  headway  before  the  two  who 
had  entered  the  car  became  aware  that  they  had  been  de- 
serted by  their  fellows.  When  they  took  in  the  situation  they 
did  not  lose  any  time  in  scrambling  out,  and  jumped  from  the 
moving  train.  When  they  struck  the  ground  they  went  tum- 
bling heels  over  head.  Whether  they  were  killed  or  only  in- 
jured we  never  learned,  nor  inquired. 

When  we  reached  Manzanillo,  the  only  ship  at  anchor  in 
the  bay  was  the  German  tramp  freighter,  Marie,  Captain 
Julius  Davidson  in  command.  American  Vice  Consul  Rich- 
ard Stadden,  of  that  port,  had  already  chartered  the  steamer 
Marie  to  convey  refugee  Americans  to  San  Diego,  the  nearest 
home  port. 


SAVAGERIES  PRACTICED  AT  MANZANILLO  25 


CHAPTER  SIX 

MANZANILLO    TO    SAN    DIEGO— HOW    GREAT    IN- 
CONVENIENCES   WERE    DISPOSED    OF 

In  Transit,  May  18,  1914. 

As  already  stated,  Mr.  Slattery  represented  the  party  of 
104  American  refugees  whom  I  sent  out  of  Guadalajara  on 
Thursday  morning,  April  23d,  arriving  at  Manzanillo  at  12 
o'clock  that  night.  The  last  of  this  party,  with  the  larger 
baggage,  did  not  get  aboard  the  German  S.  S.  Marie  until 
after  6  o'clock  P.  M.  Friday,  24th. 

After  having  waited  for  so  long  a  time  without  avail  to 
have  their  baggage  inspected  by  customs  officials  before  leav- 
ing (a  custom  practiced  at  all  Mexican  ports) — at  a  little  be- 
fore 4  o'clock  the  Americans  agreed  to  pay  the  Jefe  Politico 
at  the  port  eleven  hundred  pesos  (equal  to  $550  American 
money)  to  have  the  matter  attended  to,  for  they  had  all  be- 
come convinced — and  had  been  told  by  other  than  Mexi- 
cans— that  they  might  be  held  there  indefinitely  unless  this 
was  done — unless  they  paid  graft  money  to  the  officers  of  the 
port.  This  arrangement  having  been  consummated,  the 
women  and  children,  the  small  baggage  and  a  part  of  the 
men  were  permitted  to  go  aboard  the  Marie  at  a  little  after  4 
P.M.;  but  sixteen  of  the  men  were  held,  and  later  carried 
by  army  officials  to  the  American  Consulate,  where  they  were 
forced  to  witness  violation  of  the  American  flag  and  a  por- 
trait of  President  Wilson,  which  said  officers  sacked  from  the 
Manzanillo  Consulate  and  delivered  to  the  mob,  who,  in  fiend- 
ish glee  tore  them,  spat  upon  them,  trampled  them  under  foot 
and  ended  by  burning  them  and  then  throwing  the  ashes  in 
the  faces  of  the  American  spectators,  accompanying  these 
savageries  with  exclamations  of  the  most  insulting  kind. 


26  SAVAGERIES  PRACTICED  AT  MANZANILLO 

Vice  Consul  Stadden  had  been  ordered  on  Wednesday, 
22d,  aboard  the  steamer  with  warnings  not  to  come  ashore 
again,  and  therefore  he  was  powerless  to  be  of  any  assistance 
whatever  to  this  party  of  refugees  after  their  arrival  at  Man- 
zanillo. 

All  the  above-mentioned  occurrences  were  related  to  me 
by  members  of  this  party  of  refugees,  after  I  had  joined  them 
aboard  the  steamer.  From  the  experiences  which  our  own 
party  had  just  had  with  the  rascally  officials  at  Manzanillo, 
I  felt  sure  that  the  statements  of  these  Americans  were  not 
exaggerated. 

To  escape  the  dangers  of  being  indefinitely  detained  in 
that  notoriously  unhealthy  port,  and  to  liberate  themselves 
from  further  fears  of  being  assassinated  by  Mexican  savages 
were,  in  my  opinion,  sufficient  reasons  for  paying  the  graft 
money  demanded  of  them  by  the  conscienceless  port  officials. 
While  the  money  thus  expended  may  not  have  been  for  trans- 
portation, strictly  speaking,  it  had  been  made  a  necessary  ex- 
pense of  embarkation  by  the  greed  of  those  Mexican  officials. 
I  considered  it  so  under  the  circumstances,  and  therefore  re- 
turned the  money  to  Mr.  Slattery  and  had  him  sign  a  voucher 
for  same. 

My  party  of  102  Americans  reached  Manzanillo  at  2 
P.  M.  Friday,  25th.  I  had  a  talk  with  the  Jefe  Politico  soon 
after  our  arrival — before  leaving  the  train,  in  fact — and  he 
promised  me  that  we  should  be  facilitated  in  every  way  in 
boarding  the  ship,  and  would  not  be  unnecessarily  delayed. 
I  also  received  an  unsigned  note  from  the  Americans  then 
aboard  the  steamer  in  the  bay,  telling  me  their  experiences 
of  the  day  before,  assuring  us  that  we  had  best  pay  the  graft- 
ing Jefe,  and  several  of  my  party  insisted  that  we  do  it  with- 
out too  much  delay,  as  it  was  an  absolute  necessity;  but  I 
felt  very  averse  to  submitting  to  such  impositions,  and  feel- 
ing somewhat  encouraged  by  what  the  Jefe  had  been  so  free 


GRAFT  PRACTICES  OF  MANZANILLO  OFFICIALS       27 

in  trying  to  assure  me,  I  delayed  until  about  3 :30  P.  M., 
when  I  sent  Mr.  Hoeing  to  consummate  the  deal,  enjoining 
him  to  drive  the  very  best  bargain  with  the  thieving  Jefe  that 
he  could.  By  this  time  I  had  become  convinced  that  the 
Jefe  had  premeditatedly  lied  to  me.  Our  women  and  children 
especially  were  fatigued,  hungry  and  thirsty.  We  had  not  had 
anything  to  eat  since  the  evening  before,  except  some  very  in- 
different fruits,  purchased  at  the  stations  along  the  way. 
This,  added  to  the  fact  that  we  had  made  the  trip  in  over- 
crowded day  coaches;  that  we  had  been  compelled  to  remain 
in  them  all  night,  at  Colima,  under  guard,  and  that  at  Man- 
zanillo  we  could  not  buy  a  thing  to  eat;  the  Mexicans  there 
absolutely  refused  to  sell  us  a  bite  of  food,  and  the  only  water 
we  had  to  drink  was  sent  to  us,  at  my  request,  from  the 
home  of  the  German  Consul,  Mr.  Kaiser,  and  for  which  noth- 
ing could  be  said  in  commendation  except  that  it  was  wet, 
and  had  been  furnished  us  by  a  gentleman  who,  in  other 
ways  within  his  limited  power,  did  all  he  could  to  alleviate 
our  distress. 

The  most  fearful  prospect  presented  to  our  view  con- 
sisted in  that  we  had  learned  the  steamer  Marie  was  bound 
to  sail  that  evening. 

To  subject  ourselves  to  be  indefinitely  detained  at  Man- 
zanillo  (no  other  boat  being  in  sight  or  soon  due),  and  at 
the  mercy  not  only  of  the  insalubrity  of  that  abominably 
stinking  and  tropically  hot  port,  but  also  of  the  devilish  mobs 
which  were  hourly  growing  more  menacing,  were  some  of 
my  reasons  for  finally  submitting  to  the  imposition. 

Mr.  Hoeing  soon  returned,  and  told  me  he  had  arranged 
with  the  Jefe,  in  400  pesos.  I  gave  him  the  money.  I  think 
our  better  bargain  over  the  Slattery  crowd  of  the  day  before 
was  due  to  the  greater  calmness  with  which  the  cold-blooded 
rascality  of  the  Manzanillo  officials  were  met  by  our  party. 

My  reason  for  explaining  at  such  length  the  whyforeness 


28      WE  START  FROM  MANZANILLO  FOR  SAN  DIEGO 

of  these  expenditures  consists  in  that  the  expenses  incurred 
were  entirely  outside  of  my  Consular  District,  and  was  more 
the  affair  of  Vice  Consul  Stadden;  but  he  declined  to  furnish 
the  money,  saying  that  such  matters  should  be  presented  as 
claims  against  the  Mexican  Government,  in  like  manner  as 
for  any  other  robberies,  etc.,  but  I  did  not  view  it  in  that 
light,  and  feeling  that  the  Department,  after  such  explana- 
tions would  reimburse  me  (which  it  did),  the  same  as  if  hap- 
pening in  my  own  District,  I  advanced  the  money  in  both 
cases  and  took  my  chances  with  the  Department. 

At  the  time  of  above  occurrences,  the  German  tramp 
freighter  Marie  was  lying  in  quarantine,  with  a  cargo  of  300 
Chinese  coolies.  Not  yet  having  complied  with  the  full  time 
required  by  the  quarantine  regulations,  said  coolies  could  not 
be  landed,  before  the  boat  was  to  leave  that  evening,  and  there- 
fore they  were  kept  aboard  ship.  The  Chinese  occupied  the 
lower  deck  of  the  steamer — the  American  refugees  the  upper. 

The  Marie  left  Manzanillo  at  7  p.  m.,  April  25th,  and  it 
was  not  until  after  she  had  nosed  well  out  to  sea,  that  the 
Americans  felt  that  they  could  breathe  in  safety.  They  would 
have  felt  happy  at  that  time,  even  had  they  been  on  a  coal 
barge — or  anything  that  promised  to  carry  them  from  those 
shores,  and  out  of  the  reach  of  those  menacing  Mexican 
mobs. 

At  that  time  of  the  year,  it  was  quite  warm  in  those 
Southern  latitudes,  and  consequently, — (although  but  few  of 
our  people  were  provided  with  blankets,  and  none  could  be 
procured  aboard  ship) — sleeping  upon  the  bare  upper  deck 
during  our  first  two  nights  out,  was  not  uncomfortable;  but 
with  our  progress  north,  the  nights  were  cooler,  and  before 
we  reached  San  Diego,  they  became  uncomfortably  cold;  but 
all  our  people  were  courageous  and  they  endured  every  in- 
convenience or  discomfort  of  the  voyage  uncomplainingly. 
The  days,  however,  were  pleasant  throughout  the  entire  trip, 


OUR  VOYAGE  FROM  MANZANILLO  TO  SAN  DIEGO     29 

and  those  who  had  suffered  from  cold  during  the  night,  could 
thaw  out  the  morning  after.  The  only  cabins  on  the  boat 
were  officers'  quarters,  affording  ordinarily  sleeping  room  for 
sixteen  persons  only.  The  officers  were  very  kind,  and 
doubled  up  among  themselves,  to  afford  accommodations  for 
our  aged  and  infirm.  The  dining  room  was  arranged  to  ac- 
commodate sixteen  at  table,  with  fixed  chairs  for  that  num- 
ber. The  only  service  people  on  the  boat,  were  the  cook 
with  helper,  and  a  couple  of  roustabouts.  The  Captain  had 
taken  on  all  additional  provisions  that  he  could  procure  in 
the  Manzanillo  market — which  was  not  much — to  feed  us 
until  we  could  reach  San  Diego. 

On  our  first  night  at  sea,  the  Americans  laid  down  any- 
where upon  the  upper  deck — each  as  best  he  could — and  went 
to  sleep  early,  for  all  of  them  were  experiencing  a  sense  of 
relaxation  following  a  long  state  of  tension,  and  an  added 
great  fatigue,  from  travel  under  very  uncomfortable  condi- 
tions. Breakfast  consisting  of  coffee,  bread  and  butter,  was 
served  in  the  dining  room  the  following  morning — and  every 
other  morning  during  the  trip — each  passenger  taking  his 
turn,  sitting  or  standing — mostly  standing — while  holding  his 
food  and  coffee  cup  in  either  hand. 

Early  on  the  morning  after  sailing,  a  general  meeting 
was  held  by  our  refugees,  and  an  organization  formed,  by 
electing  Mr.  Michiel  Slattery  as  a  sort  of  generalissimo,  with 
powers  to  appoint  service  committees,  to  see  that  each 
properly  performed  the  duties  assigned  to  him,  and  to  super- 
vise the  enforcement  of  all  rules  and  regulations  that  were 
adopted  for  our  government  during  the  voyage.  One  of  the 
first  resolutions  that  was  proposed,  and  adopted  by  unani- 
mous vote,  was,  "That  any  person  who  should  be  heard  to 
complain  of  the  service  on  'this  here  boat,'  should  be  sus- 
pended by  a  rope  over  the  hatchway  until  he,  such  culprit 
should,  by  word  of  mouth — or  some  sign  that  could  be  well 


30     OUR  VOYAGE  FROM  MANZANILLO  TO  SAN  DIEGO 

understood — express,  indicate,  or  make  known,  to  the  entire 
satisfaction  of  his  executioners,  that  he  sincerely  repented 
of  what  he,  the  culprit,  had  been  guilty  by  word  or  deed; 
and  that  as  to  spoken  words  which  should  not  have  been 
uttered,  the  culprit,  retracted  the  same,  took  them  back, 
masticated  and  swallowed  them,  and  would  endeavor  to  never 
again  be  guilty  of  such  misdemeanors,  or  their  like;  and  that 
in  so  far  as  any  deeds  of  kind  would,  in  penance  for  same, 
do  and  perform  double  menial  service  throughout  the  re- 
mainder of  the  trip."  Needless  to  say,  no  one  was  heard  to 
complain,  in  any  manner  whatever,  of  the  service,  or  the 
ship's  accommodations,  during  the  voyage. 

One  of  the  most  important  committees  appointed  was 
that  of  the  meal-serving  gang.  At  all  meals — excepting 
breakfast — the  Americans  would  form  in  two  parallel  lines 
on  the  outer  gangway  of  the  deck,  and  the  members  of  the 
meal-serving  committee  would  pass  along  the  human  lane  so 
formed,  those  of  the  advanced  guard  handing  out  on  either 
side,  plates,  knives  or  spoons — according  to  what  food  was  to 
follow — sometimes  soup,  rice  or  oatmeal  porridge.  Next  the 
bread  and  butter  gang  would  pass  along;  and  another,  per- 
haps, handing  out  potatoes  or  eggs,  and — (on  one  or  two  oc- 
casions during  the  trip) — meat,  of  some  sort.  When  soup, 
rice  or  oatmeal  porridge,  or  anything  of  a  liquid  or  semi- 
liquid  nature  was  being  served,  two  of  the  "waiters"  would 
carry  the  caldron  between  them,  while  a  third  would  ladle 
out  rations  to  whomsoever,  on  either  side,  would  hold  out 
his  plate  to  receive  it.  Our  menus  were  not  very  extensive 
at  any  of  the  meals,  but  such  food  as  was  served  was  well 
cooked,  and  was  quite  palatable.  However,  the  eggs — which 
were  served  in  abundance — had  come  all  the  way  from  China, 
and  when  they  were  not  boiled  real  hard,  it  was  difficult  to 
distinguish  the  good  from  the  bad  ones — before  breaking  the 
shell.    About  every  third  egg  had  not  yet  spoiled.     On  this 


OUR  VOYAGE  FROM  MANZANILLO  TO  SAN  DIEGO     31 

trip  I  learned  that  however  hard  one  tried  to  boil  a  spoiled 
egg  hard  it  could  hardly  be  done. 

As  stated,  the  Marie  was  a  tramp  freighter;  therefore 
no  provision  had  been  made  in  her  construction — though  a 
splendidly  built  vessel — for  the  personal  comfort  of  others 
than  her  limited  number  of  officers;  and  consequently,  she 
had  been  provided  with  only  two  toilet  rooms,  on  the  upper 
deck.  This  inconvenience  to  a  passenger  list  of  300  souls 
was  overcome  by  assigning  the  most  convenient  and  com- 
modious of  the  two  to  the  women  and  children,  and  main- 
taing  toilet  room  committees  posted  at  the  doors  of  each. 

On  a  bulletin  board,  the  names  of  the  officers  of  our 
organization,  the  names  of  the  members  of  the  various  com- 
mittees, and  all  the  rules  and  regulations,  were  kept  posted; 
and  when  an  article  had  been  lost  or  mislaid,  or  a  meeting 
was  to  be  held,  the  same  was  also  announced  on  the  bulletin 
board,  as  well  as  such  "news"  as  may  have  leaked  through 
the  atmosphere.  (The  Marie  was  not  provided  with  a  wire- 
less apparatus.) 

On  our  third  day  out,  there  appeared  on  the  bulletin 
board  the  following  announcement:  "A  baby  girl  was  born 
last  night  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  (I  cannot  recall  the  name  now), 
and  christened  'Julia  Marie,'  in  honor  of  our  courteous  Cap- 
tain, Julius  Davidson,  and  the  good  ship  Marie.  Mother, 
babe  and  father  doing  well."  There  was  general  rejoicing 
over  this  announcement,  which  seemed  to  gratify  the  officers 
of  the  boat  as  much  as  it  did  the  passengers. 

A  few  hours  before  reaching  the  port  of  San  Diego,  a 
meeting  was  held,  including  the  boat's  officers,  when  ex- 
pressions of  appreciation  were  indulged  in  for  the  courteous 
treatment  extended  by  the  officers  to  the  passengers.  A  gold 
watch  which  had  been  purchased  from  the  stock  of  a  jeweler 
aboard,  by  general  subscription,  was  presented  to  Captain 
Davidsen,  by  Mr.  Slattery,  who  was  also  charged  with  hav- 


32  ARRIVAL  AT  SAN  DIEGO 

ing  the  watch  appropriately  engraved  after  we  should  arrive 
at  San  Diego. 

On  landing  at  San  Diego,  we  were  met  by  members  of 
the  Red  Cross  Society,  who  took  charge  of,  and  furnished 
the  financially  embarrassed  members  of  our  party — which  in- 
cluded nearly  all  of  them — with  hotel  and  other  accommo- 
dations for  the  time,  and  afterwards,  transportation  to  their 
respective  destinations  in  the  States.  But  with  all  this  kind- 
ness, it  made  one's  heart  ache  to  see  so  many  destitute  Amer- 
icans— men,  women  and  children — gathered  in  and  about  the 
San  Diego  Red  Cross  headquarters — (there  were  many  others 
besides  those  who  came  over  on  the  Marie) — during  those 
times.  Many  of  these  people  had  been  prosperous  before  the 
recent  revolutions  had  begun  in  Mexico;  and  some  of  them 
had  accumulated  competencies  sufficient  to  have  enabled  them 
to  live  in  comfort  the  remainder  of  their  lives ;  but  all,  except 
a  few,  had  lost  everything,  and  the  "few"  who  had  not,  had 
been  compelled  to  abandon  what  "all"  they  may  have  had  left, 
and  flee  the  country.  The  greater  number  of  those  with 
whom  I  have  been  able  to  keep  in  touch  since,  have  fared 
poorly.  Some  seemed  incapable  of  readjusting  themselves  to 
their  changed  conditions,  and  to  begin  life  anew  again  in 
real  earnest;  others  were  already  too  old  for  any  kind  of 
undertakings. 

The  American  refugees  who  landed  at  San  Diego  were 
only  a  few  of  the  100,000  others  who  had  to  flee  from  Mexico 
during  those  times,  many  of  whom  fared  far  worse  in  most 
every  way,  than  did  those  whom  these  chronicles  tell  some- 
what about. 


I  AM  ORDERED  BACK  TO  GUADALAJARA,  MEXICO     33 


CHAPTER  SEVEN 

I  AM  ORDERED  BACK  TO  GUADALAJARA;  I  MAKE 

THE     JOURNEY     UNDER     DIFFICULTIES, 

THROUGH  A  DEVASTATED  COUNTRY 

While  away  from  my  post,  I  kept  as  well  informed  as 
I  could,  about  the  progress  of  the  Revolutions  in   Mexico. 

The  Carrancistas,  under  Generals  Obregon  and  Dieguez, 
took  Guadalajara  on  the  10th  of  July,  1914,  after  having 
fought  their  way  through  the  State  of  Sinaloa  and  the  Ter- 
ritory of  Tepic;  about  the  same  time  General  Villa  was 
operating  against,  and  afterwards  took,  Zacatecas. 

General  Dieguez,  who  had  been  commissioned  Military 
Governor  of  the  State  of  Jalisco,  took  up  his  residence  at 
Guadalajara,  where  I  found  him  on  my  return. 

General  Obregon,  with  the  major  part  of  his  army,  pro- 
ceeded on  towards  Mexico  City,  which  he  soon  reached,  when 
General  Carranza  was  formally  installed  as  Provisional  Presi- 
dent, General  Huerta  having  escaped  the  country  just  before 
this  took  place. 

The  Huerta  Regime  at  an  end,  with  Carranza  in  control, 
and  all  the  recent  revolutionary  leaders  then  recognizing 
him  as  their  Chief,  peace  prevailed  throughout  the  Republic; 
and  continued  until  the  to-be-expected  dissensions  among  the 
revolutionists  themselves  broke  out,  and  culminated  in  the 
irreconcilable  split  between  Generals  Villa  and  Carranza,  at 
the  convention  of  Aguascalientes,  which  was  held  in  No- 
vember. 

Guadalajara,  Mex.,  Aug.  24,  1914. 

Though  general  peace  was  prevailing  at  the  particular 
time  that  I  am  just  now  going  to  tell  of,  the  railroads  and 
equipment  of  Mexico  were  in  a  woeful  condition;  tracks  had 


34         I  MAKE  THE  JOURNEY  UNDER  DIFFICULTIES 

been  torn  up  for  long  distances  in  places — ties  burned,  and 
the  iron  rails  on  either  side  of  the  roads  could  be  seen  twisted 
in  all  manner  of  shapes — all  bridges  and  culverts  were  de- 
stroyed, most  of  the  rolling-stock  had  been  reduced  to  junk, 
and  where  had  formerly  stood  station  buildings,  repair  shops 
and  round  houses,  were  to  be  seen  so  many  heaps  of  ashes ! — 
which  leads  us  to  remark,  that  if  actual  depressions  are  not 
to  be  found  in  the  regions  of  "constructiveness"  in  the  Mex- 
ican cranium — where  distinctive  bumps  really  ought  to  be; 
and  abnormally  developed  protuberances  actually  projecting 
from  the  zone  of  "destructiveness" — where  they  should  not 
be  found  at  all — then  there  must  not  be  any  truth  in  the  so- 
called  science  of  Phrenology. 

Temporary  repairs  of  the  railroads  in  Mexico  had  been 
under  way  for  some  time,  but  lacked  much  to  permit  of  the 
resumption  of  through  travel.  Such  was  about  the  state  of 
affairs  down  there,  when  I  received  instructions  from  the 
Secretary  of  State,  to  return  to  my  post  at  Guadalajara. 

These  instructions  were  received  on  the  7th  of  August, 
1914;  and  after  having  spent  the  succeeding  24  hours  in  try- 
ing to  ascertain  if  there  was  an  all-rail  service  from  any- 
where on  the  Texas  border  to  Guadalajara,  without  avail,  I 
left  Pueblo  for  El  Paso,  thinking  that  from  there  I  might 
better  inform  myself.  Arriving  at  El  Paso  on  the  10th,  I 
learned  that  the  first  train  for  as  far  South  as  Aguascalientes 
would  depart  next  morning. 

Meeting  an  old  acquaintance  at  El  Paso,  who  told  me 
he  had  been  waiting  there  over  three  weeks,  hoping  to  make 
the  trip  to  Guadalajara,  we  determined  to  undertake  the 
journey  together;  and  accordingly  crossed  over  to  Juarez 
early  on  the  morning  of  the  11th;  and  by  one  of  us  looking 
after  the  tickets,  while  the  other  was  to  pass  our  baggage 
through  the  Mexican  customs  house,  we  succeeded  in  getting 
started  on  our  way  that  day.    It  was  understood  between  us 


DIFFICULTIES  IN  GETTING  STARTED  INTO  MEXICO  35 

that  whichever  of  the  two  who  should  get  through  with  his 
job  first,  he  was  to  hasten  to  the  train  to  secure  seats;  for 
the  matter  of  obtaining  seats  was  the  great  desideratum  in 
undertaking  a  journey  by  rail  through  any  part  of  Mexico 
during  these  times;  as  at  best,  there  were  only  a  limited 
number  of  patched-up  day  coaches,  plus  box  and  flat  cars, 
with  which  to  make  up  passenger  trains ;  and  an  uncushioned 
seat  in  one  of  the  rattle-trap  day  coaches  was  considerd  a 
luxury ! 

It  fell  to  my  lot  to  look  after  the  luggage.  On  reaching 
the  baggage  room,  I  found  it  filled  with  piles  of  equipage, 
while  crowds  of  anxious  people  were  standing  about,  waiting 
for  the  complacent-looking  customs  people  to  pass  them  up. 
I  was  presently  told  by  several  of  the  would-be  travelers,  that 
they  had  been  trying  for  several  days  to  have  their  baggage 
examined.  From  the  leisurely  manner  in  which  the  in- 
spectors were  pretending  to  be  about  their  business,  it  did 
not  appear  to  me  that  matters  would  be  likely  to  progress  as 
they  should,  if  left  to  themselves.  Thinking  that  a  few  pieces 
of  coin  might  elicit  results  more  effectually  than  the  vocifer- 
ations that  were  being  indulged  in,  I  approached  one  of  the 
inspectors,  and  convinced  him  of  the  merits  of  our  case.  He 
marked  each  piece  of  our  baggage  as  "passed,"  without  taking 
the  trouble  of  having  any  of  it  opened  to  view — whereby  I 
was  enabled  to  reach  the  train  early  enough  to  make  a  selec- 
tion of  seats.  I  was  joined  by  my  companion  about  two 
hours  later,  he  having  had  to  stand  in  line  nearly  three  hours 
before  securing  tickets.  By  the  time  the  train  was  ready  to 
start — nearly  two  hours  behind  the  schedule — our  car  was 
packed  to  full  "standing  room"  capacity,  even  in  the  aisle 
and  upon  the  platforms.  With  this,  hundreds  of  people  were 
left  at  the  station,  either  on  account  of  not  having  been  able 
to  procure  tickets,  or  to  have  had  their  baggage  inspected 
in  time. 


36        I  TRAVEL  THROUGH  A  DEVASTATED  COUNTRY 

With  ourselves  and  luggage  crowded  on  one  seat,  we 
traveled  sixty  hours  consecutively,  not  daring  to  leave  our 
places  except  one  at  a  time,  for  if  we  had  both  ventured  out 
together,  on  returning,  we  would  have  found  that  our  seats 
had  been  appropriated  by  others,  and  our  baggage  also,  with 
no  hope  of  ever  recovering  either.  One  of  us  would  sally 
out  at  nearly  every  station  to  rustle  something  to  eat,  but 
in  the  majority  of  cases  without  encountering  food  of  any 
kind.  We  could  only  buy,  as  by  chance,  a  few  tortillas  here, 
some  frijoles  elsewhere,  a  piece  of  cheese  occasionally,  and 
a  cup  of  coffee  at  long  intervals.  By  the  time  we  reached 
Aguascalientes,  we  were  very  hungry.  While  able  to  secure 
good  beds  to  sleep  upon  at  Aguascalientes,  we  found  food 
nearly  as  scarce  as  it  was  on  the  road  from  Juarez. 

What  the  people  had  suffered  throughout  the  devastated 
country  which  we  had  just  traversed,  could  not  all  be  told 
by  one  making  the  journey  by  rail,  but  enough  could  be  seen 
from  the  train  while  in  motion,  and  learned  by  going  among 
the  people  at  the  stations,  to  give  rise  to  sad  reflections  on 
the  pity  of  it  all;  brought  about  by  the  so-called  Mexican 
patriot,  enlisted  under  the  banner  of  first  one,  and  then  an- 
other, self-styled  champion  of  liberty;  all  of  them  robbing, 
right  and  left,  and  when  unable  to  carry  off,  destroying  every- 
thing on  which  the  people  depended  for  sustenance;  each 
contending  faction  claiming  themselves  to  be  the  only  true 
paladins  of  the  people's  rights — that  they  were  doing  all  these 
things  in  the  holy  name — and  because  they  found  them- 
selves so  thoroughly  saturated  with  the  spirit — of  Mexican 
patriotism ! 

At  Aguascalientes,  we  found  that  we  could  not  travel 
further  South  by  rail.  Neither  could  we  procure  transporta- 
tion of  any  other  kind  ourselves,  for  all  riding  and  work 
animals,  as  well  as  vehicles  of  every  sort  which  had  not  been 
confiscated  by  the  Huertistas  before,  had  been  taken  over  by 


SOME  REFLECTIONS  ON  WHAT  I  SAW  Z7 

the  Carrancistas  after;  therefore,  I  made  bold  to  call  on  the 
Jefe  Politico  at  Aguascalientes,  and  ask  him  to  further  us 
on  our  way.  This  he  did,  by  furnishing  us  with  a  coach, 
team  and  driver,  as  far  as  Lagos,  giving  us  a  letter  to  the 
Jefe  of  the  latter  place  who,  in  turn,  facilitated  us  on  to  Leon, 
whence  we  traveled  by  rail,  reaching  Guadalajara  on  the 
evening  of  August  20 — exactly  12  days  from  Pueblo — a  trip 
which  I  had  more  than  once  made  in  three  days  time,  before 
the  revolutions,  and  with  Pullman  accommodations  all  the 
way. 

NOTE :  In  giving  the  foregoing  account  of  my  return 
trip  to  Guadalajara,  I  omitted  many  things  that  might  have 
interested  the  reader,  nor  detailed  any  more  delays  than  I 
felt  were  necessary  to  give  one  a  general  idea  of  the  actual 
conditions  of  the  country  through  which  we  passed — deplor- 
able, at  that  time;  yet  I  would  add  that  this  was  nearly  six 
years  ago,  and  the  scourgings  have  not  ceased,  although  at 
times,  partially  abating — abating  whiles  there  might  have 
been  nothing  for  a  voracious  banditry  to  feed  upon.  To  think 
that  this  has  been  going  on  for  nearly  ten  years,  at  our  very 
back-doors ;  and  that  our  doors  have  proven  to  not  have  been 
as  strong  as  they  really  ought  to  be,  for  they  have  been  broken 
through  several  times  already,  and  in  several  places,  and  our 
people,  in  their  own  homes,  and  on  their  own  soil,  have  been 
forced  to  take  a  few  doses  of  Mexican  banditry.  Perhaps  in 
another  ten  years,  we  may  become  accustomed  to  it — learn  to 
take  it  as  a  matter  of  course — to  treat  such  incursions  as  only 
so  many  Mexican  demonstrations  of  international  amity! 


38  HOW  I  FOUND  THINGS  AT  GUADALAJARA 


CHAPTER  EIGHT 

HOW  I  FOUND  THINGS  IN  MY  CONSULAR  DISTRICT 
ON  MY  RETURN;  MY  FIRST  UNDERTAKINGS 
WITH  THE  CARRANZA-DIEGUEZ   GOV- 
ERNMENT DURING  FIRST  TERM 

Guadalajara,  Mexico,  Sept.  20,  1914. 

After  notifying  the  Department  of  State  of  my  return, 
I  reopened  the  American  Consulate,  when  the  offices  were 
soon  filled  by  people  clamoring  for  protection,  mainly  against 
the  Carranza  Government  in  the  matter  of  forced  loans. 

During  my  absence,  the  Consular  affairs  had  been  trans- 
ferred from  the  British  Vice  Consul  (with  whom  I  had  left 
them)  to  the  French  Vice  Consul,  Eugene  Pinzon.  Although 
Senor  Pinzon  had  been  very  attentive  in  trying  to  serve 
American  interests,  and  had  kept  complete  records  of  his 
acts,  he  had  failed — as  seemed  to  have  been  the  case  also 
with  other  Consular  representatives  there — to  secure  satisfac- 
tory results  in  treating  with  the  Carranza  Government,  rep- 
resented by  Military  Governor,  General  Manuel  M.  Dieguez, 
who  had  advented  on  the  scene,  as  already  related. 

Nearly  all  the  members  of  the  local  Consular  Corps  called 
on  me  early,  and  each  offered  to  present  me  to  General 
Dieguez,  but  I  had  gathered  that  not  any  of  them  seemed 
to  be  in  favor  with  the  local  Government.  I  made  no  haste 
in  being  presented  to  General  Dieguez,  preferring  to  wait 
until  I  could  inform  myself  of  the  changed  conditions  that 
had  obtained  during  my  absence;  and  when  I  did  make  my 
first  call,  I  went  alone. 

I  was  gratified  to  find  that  the  former  anti-American 
feeling  on  the  part  of  the  Mexican  public  had  so  favorably 
changed — amounting  to  a  complete  revolution  of  sentiment — 


HOW  I  FOUND  THINGS  AT  GUADALAJARA  39 

more  notably  with  the  Church  element,  and  all  those  who  had 
anything  to  lose. 

The  difference  in  the  deportment  of  the  Mexican  people 
towards  the  Americans,  on  the  latter*s  return  to  Mexico,  as 
compared  to  that  displayed  at  their  departure,  was  phenom- 
enal; and  yet  the  American  army  had  not  evacuated  Vera 
Cruz,  nor  were  they  making  preparations  to  do  so;  of  which 
fact  the  Mexicans  themselves  were  well  aware. 

All  the  Mexican  civilians — (all  Mexicans,  except  about 
the  five  per  cent,  who  were  enlisted  under  the  banner  of,  and 
deriving  their  support  from,  the  Carranza  Government) — 
were  praying  that  the  Americans  come  on,  and  save  them,  the 
Mexicans,  from  their  own  people! 

All  the  way  from  El  Paso  to  Guadalajara,  I  found  that 
the  country  had  been  flooded  with  revolutionist  money — ■ 
"bliembiques,"  as  the  Mexicans  called  it — and  that  the  ex- 
change rate  of  the  Mexican  peso  had  declined  (rom  its  old 
value  of  two  Mexican  pesos  for  one  American  dollar.  At  El 
Paso,  I  bought  at  the  rate  of  five  to  one — its  value  con- 
tinued to  decline — but  until  it  had  reached  about  fifteen  to 
one,  the  market  people  and  laboring  classes  in  Guadalajara 
did  not  begin  to  find  out  that  there  was  anything  the  matter 
with  the  circulating  medium  of  the  country.  The  old  National 
Bank  notes,  and  metallic  specie  of  every  description,  had  dis- 
appeared from  circulation;  nothing  was  in  evidence  except 
revolutionist  money;  and  there  were  as  many  different  kinds 
of  this,  as  there  had  been  revolutionist  armies  in  the  field; 
each  working  their  presses  to  full  capacity. 

NOTE :  This  kept  up  until  I  felt  Mexico  the  second  time 
(June,  1916)  when,  in  paying  for  a  train  to  carry  the  Amer- 
icans from  Guadalajara  to  Manzanillo,  I  bought  $17,900.00 
pesos  for  $89.50  American  money — exactly  at  the  rate  of  two 
hundred  for  one! 

The  first  few  months  after  my  return,  I  noticed  great 


40  HOW  I   FOUND  THINGS  AT   GUADALAJARA 

varieties  of  jewelry,  and  many  other  kinds  of  costly  articles 
being  hawked  about  the  streets,  and  in  hotel  lobbies,  gen- 
erally by  some  go-between,  who  would  claim  that  the  par- 
ticular offering  was  the  property  of  "la  Senora  Fulano  de  tal" 
— (Mrs.  John  Doe) — who,  on  account  of  the  stress  of  afifairs, 
was  compelled  to  offer  it  for  sale  to  secure  "con  que"  (the 
wherewith)  to  buy  food  for  herself  and  children!  Where  all 
these  things  came  from,  and  how  so  many  of  them  had  found 
their  way  to  the  hands  of  common  street  vendors  was, — like 
many  other  things  observed  about  those  times, — beyond  the 
writer's  ken.  Fine  opportunities  were  offered  for  purchasing 
these  articles  at  a  song,  to  any  one  who  may  have  had  a  safe 
place  for  hoarding  them;  but  the  "safe  place"  was  the  crux. 

The  feeling  of  a  want  of  security  is  what  causes  mar- 
kets to  sag,  generally ;  and  the  infamously  low  price  of  an 
ordinarily  valuable  something,  is  a  fair  indication  of  the 
depths  to  which  the  general  feeling  of  a  want  of  security  may 
have  sunken! 

The  changes  in  appearances  on  the  streets  during  busi- 
ness hours  were  not  so  noticeable;  the  American  bank,  which 
had  closed  on  the  20th  of  April  (the  day  of  the  Vera  Cruz 
incident)  never  did  reopen ;  and  business  at  other  banking 
institutions  seemed  negligible ;  but  at  the  amusement  and 
refreshments  resorts — especially  in  the  evenings — could  be 
noted  complete  transformations  in  the  appearances  of  the 
personnel  gathered  in  and  about  them,  as  compared  to  former 
times. 

All  the  churches — (when  speaking  of  the  Church  in 
Mexico,  the  Catholic  denomination  is  always  meant) — includ- 
ing the  Cathedral,  had  remained  closed  since  the  advent  of 
the  Carrancistas,  and  it  was  claimed  many  persecutions  of 
the  clergy  had  been  practiced;  all  ecclesiastical  properties 
had  been  confiscated ;  all  secular  schools  had  been  permanent- 
ly closed;  and  all  foreign-born  priests,  and  all  classes  of  sis- 


HOW  I   FOUND  THINGS  AT   GUADALAJARA  41 

ters  and  nuns  had  been  deported.  The  faces  of  many  of  the 
more  wealthy  and  prominent  citizens,  formerly  so  frequently 
seen,  were  now  only  conspicuous  by  their  absence;  and  I 
was  pleased  to  note  as  among  the  latter,  the  sleek-like  em- 
bonpoint of  Antonio  Perez  Verdia,  whom  I  had  heard  so 
bitterly  inveighing  against  everything  American  in  a  harangue 
to  the  mobs,  on  the  evening  of  April  20th,  already  alluded  to. 

The  itinerary  of  the  flight  of  those  "absent  ones"  had 
been  first,  to  Mexico  City,  then  to  Vera  Cruz  (where  the 
Americans  were  yet  in  possession),  thence  to  the  States,  to 
where  those  of  their  description  flocked  by  the  hundreds  and 
thousands,  from  every  part  of  the  Rebpublic  of  Mexico. 

Regarding  this  particular  Sefior  Vardia,  who,  after  all, 
differed  from  thousands  of  others  of  his  ilk  only  in  having 
given  public  utterances  to  his  innermost  anti-American  senti- 
ments, I  will  relate  the  following  episode:  Having  used  his 
full  powers  in  trying  to  incite  the  mobs  against  the  Americans, 
after  the  Vera  Cruz  incident,  and  having  refugeed  to  Mexico 
City  just  before  the  Carrancistas  reached  Guadalajara 
(Huerta  was  yet  in  control  of  the  Capital)  he  soon  became 
very  much  alarmed  for  his  personal  safety,  for  with  the  rapid 
approach  of  the  Carrancistas  from  the  north,  and — as  Senor 
Vardia  construed  it — his  other  enemies,  the  Yankees,  at  Vera 
Cruz,  he  felt  that  he  was  in  a  trap,  so  to  speak,  and  without 
hope  of  escape.  About  this  time,  several  Americans  reached 
Mexico  City,  via  Vera  Cruz,  in  attempts  to  return  to  Guada- 
lajara, and  meeting  Senor  Verdia,  he  began  lamenting  his 
plight  unto  them.  The  Americans  advised  him  to  go  to  Vera 
Cruz — while  there  was  yet  time — whereupon  Senor  Verdia 
exclaimed :  "What ;  right  into  the  Yankee  camps,  after  talking 
against  the  gringoes  as  I  have? — not  if  I  know  myself!"  But 
the  Americans  succeeded  in  persuading  Senor  Verdia  that  he 
would  be  safe  from  all  harm — once  within  American  lines; 
when  said  Seiior  Verdia  did  not  allow  the  loss  of  any  time  in 


42      I  MAKE  MY  FIRST  CALL  ON  GOVERNOR  DIEGUEZ 

flying  right  into  the  arms  of  those  whom  he  was  wont  to 
most  villainously  assail.  Said  Senor  Verdia,  and  many  others 
of  his  stripe,  enjoyed  every  protection  at  the  hands  of  the 
Americans ;  which  proved  quite  a  revelation  to  them ;  and  the 
treatment  they  received  from  the  Yankees,  contrasted  very 
strikingly  with  the  kind  which  they  and  their  like  had  meted 
out  to  the  defenseless  Americans  as  hereinbefore  related. 

From  what  I  had  been  able  to  gather,  it  appeared  to  me 
that  the  people  connected  with  the  Government  at  Guadalajara 
were  suspicious  of  everybody — that  they  considered  all  others 
except  themselves,  in  the  light  of  enemies — and  this  applied 
with  equal  force  to  the  friends  and  supporters  of  former 
Governments,  the  Church,  and  the  well-to-do,  the  latter  being 
omnibusly  classed  "the  aristocracy." 

Not  to  delay  too  long,  I  made  my  first  call  on  General 
Dieguez.  He  received  me  politely,  but  with  lurking  senti- 
ments of  suspicion,  which  materialized  later,  when,  in  the 
course  of  conversation,  he  remarked  that  he  had  understood 
that  I  had  been  in  good  favor  with  his  predecessors  in  office, 
and  well  esteemed  by  the  aristocracy  of  the  community. 
(Gov.  D.  considered  these  his  enemies.) 

Realizing  the  intended  pointedness  of  this  remark,  I 
answered  in  effect,  that  I  was  glad  to  believe  that  he  had 
been  correctly  informed — that  in  my  twelve  years  residence 
there — all  Mexicans,  from  the  peons  in  the  street,  to  the 
wealthier  classes,  had  treated  me  courteously  (barring  the 
Vera  Cruz  incident),  and  that  I  had  wished  to  show  them 
my  appreciation;  and  as  to  having  been  in  good  repute  with 
former  Administrations,  it  must  have  been  because  I  had 
sedulously  avoided  "metiendome  en  camisa  de  once  varas" 
(meaning,  in  this  use  of  the  phrase,  that  I  had  kept  myself 
clear  of  mixing  in  Mexican  affairs),  which  I  was  sure  his 
Excellency  would  find  to  characterize  my  conduct  during  his 
Administration.    This  seemed  to  soften  General  Diguez'  at- 


SOME  COMMENTS  ON  GENERAL  DIEGUEZ  43 

titude,  and  he  remarked  that  he  did  not  think  that  he  and  I 
would  have  any  trouble  I  answered  no — that  we  might 
differ  in  opinion  at  times  but,  that  when  he  and  I  should  not 
agree  as  to  a  given  matter,  each  could  refer  such  to  their 
respective  superiors,  etc. — and  that  any  differences  of  opinion 
ought  in  no  wise  to  molest  our  frank  treatment  of  each  other. 

I  relate  thus  fully  my  first  interview  with  General 
Dieguez,  because  under  the  then  conditions,  it  meant  more 
than  one  might  ordinarily  think. 

I  felt  it  was  the  opportune  time  to  impress  General 
Dieguez  that  I  viewed  my  representation  more  in  the  light  of 
friendship  than  for  the  purpose  of  trying  to  antagonize  Mex- 
ican officials.  This  is  an  important  impression  to  create  in 
dealing  with  Latin-American  officials. 

Any  one  who  may  give  these  people  cause  for  distrust, 
can  never  be  reinstated  into  their  confidences ;  nor  expect  any- 
thing of  them  except  necessary  official  courtesies,  either  for 
themselves,  or  the  people  they  may  represent;  while  upon 
the  other  hand,  if  they  believe  in  one's  profession  of  friend- 
ship, they  will  "lay  awake  nights,"  so  to  speak,  trying  to 
think  of  ways  to  show  their  appreciation.  This  is  almost  a 
characteristic  with  them. 

While  General  Dieguez  could  not  be  called  an  educated 
person,  he  is  far  from  belonging  to  the  illiterate  class;  he  is 
blessed  with  common  sense  knowledge;  he  is  a  man  of  his 
word;  he  is  a  good  scrapper,  and  will  fight  an  adversary  in 
the  open ;  in  short,  the  stuff  of  which  he  is  made,  excels  that 
of  Carranza,  Villa,  or  any  other  Mexican  revolutionary  chief 
that  I  know,  and  I  have  met  nearly  all  of  them. 

NOTE:  I  realize  that  this  opinion  of  General  Dieguez 
will  not  be  concurred  in  by  many;  and  can  understand  why 
the  reader  may  not  be  able  to  reconcile  such  with  my  criti- 
cism of  some  of  his  acts  given  in  my  reports  farther  on. 
But  in  the  foregoing,  I  speak  of  the  man  as  I  think  I  know 


44       FIVE  CHANGES  OF  GOVERNMENT  IN  ONE  YEAR 

him,  while  in  my  reports  of  his  acts,  I  chronicle  savageries 
which  would  appear  to  be  almost  unpardonable. 

For  five  years  previous  to  the  Madero  revolution,  Gen- 
eral Dieguez  had  been  confined  in  the  fortress  of  Juan  Uloa, 
a  political  prison  near  Vera  Cruz  where  the  most  revolting 
treatments  were  visited  upon  those  incarcerated  there,  ad- 
ministered by  the  minions  of  the  too-much  lauded  Don  Por- 
firio  Diaz.  He  emerged  from  this  prison,  nursing  deep  senti- 
ments of  revenge,  and  as  Diaz  and  his  followers  had  escaped 
the  country  while  General  Dieguez  was  yet  as  a  caged  beast — 
as  soon  as  he  got  into  power  and  (iould  not  reach  his  real 
persecutors — he  wreaked  his  vengeance  on  innocent  people. 

NOTE :  Before  perusing  further  the  order  of  these 
chronicles,  I  will  explain  that  during  the  remainder  of  my 
stay  at  Guadalajara,  there  were  five  changes  of  Government, 
and  here  give  the  order  of  their  successions : 

I.  Carranza's  First  Administration,  by  Gen.  Dieguez, 
from  the  time  of  the  taking  of  Guadalajara  from  the 
Huertistas,  July  10,  to  the  coming  of  the  Villistas,  December 
14th,  1914. 

II.  Villa's  First  Administration,  from  December   14th, 

1914,  to  the  return  of  the  Carrancistas,  January  18th,  1915. 

III.  Carranza's  Second  Administration,  after  running  the 
Villistas  out  on  January  18th,  to  February  13th,  1915,  when 
they  "vamoosed"  again,  at  Villa's  approach — his  "second 
coming." 

IV.  Villa's  Second  Administration,  from  February  13th 
to  April  18th,  1915,  the  Villistas  evacuating  at  approach  of 
Carrancista  forces. 

V.  Carranza's  Third  Administration,  from  April   18th, 

1915,  to  the  present  time 

We  will  now  go  back  to  the  American  Consulate,  and  see 
how  things  have  progressed.    Before  my  return,  among  other 


\ 

« 

ATTEMPTED  FORCED  LOANS  AGAINST  AMERICANS    45  » 

acts  of  a  very  arbitrary  nature,  General  Dieguez  had  levied 
what  the  natives  call  a  "prestimo  forzoso"  (a  forced  loan). 

To  satisfy  this  decree,  many  Americans,  in  common  with 
everybody  else,  had  been  heavily  assessed,  and  threatened 
with  severe  penalties,  in  event  of  non-payments.  This  was 
the  cause  of  so  many  flocking  to  the  Consulate  as  soon  as 
it  had  been  reopened.  The  failure  of  the  different  Consuls 
to  get  relief  from  the  operation  of  this  edict,  for  their  re- 
spective nationals,  was  one  of  many  other  reasons  for  their 
saying  to  me  on  my  return,  that  the  authorities  were  acting 
in  a  very  arbitrary  manner  toward  foreigners.  These  so- 
called  forced  loans  were  no  less  than  so  many  pseudo-legalized 
robberies;  those  who  had  to  pay  them  never  expected  to  re- 
ceive one  cent  in  return.  As  to  how  these  forced  loan  mat- 
ters were  met  by  the  American  Consulate,  the  following 
correspondence  will  explain  and  will  also  serve  to  illustrate 
the  disposition  of  other  cases  of  a  similar  nature  so  handled: 

Guadalajara,  Mex.,  Aug.  22nd,  1914. 
"To  His  Excellency,  General  Manuel  M.  Dieguez, 

Governor  of  the  State  of  Jalisco,  City. 

"Esteemed  Sir : — I  have  learned  that  your  Excellency  has 
addressed  a  communication  to^Mrs-."  ©o4ores  Robling  JJew- 
ton,  imposing  on  her  a  special  extraordinary  tax  of  thirty 
thousand  pesos,  with  fines  referred  to  in  the  same  com- 
munication. 

"I  am  convinced  that  your  Excellency  did  not  know,  on 
issuing  this  communication,  that  the  Widow  Newton  is  an 
American  citizen,  and  when  this  fact  is  made  known  to  you, 
you  will  issue  orders  that  this  tax  be  not  collected. 

"The  Widow  Newton  is  an  American  citizen  through 
having  married  an  American  citizen,  formerly  American  Con- 
sular Agent  in  this  city ;  and  furthermore,  in  proof  that  she 
has  maintained  her  American  citizenship,  the  lady  came  to 


46  OUR  FIGHT  AGAINST  FORCED  LOANS 

this  Consulate  and  registered.  Her  citizenship  has  been  recog- 
nized by  Washington. 

"I  ask  that  your  Excellency  issues  orders  for  the  no-col- 
lection of  the  tax  referred  to,  and  that  you  advise  me  accord- 
ingly, that  I  may  communicate  it  to  my  Government. 

"I  reiterate  to  your  Excellency  assurances  of  my  highest 
consideration. 

"(Signed)  WILL  B.  DAVIS, 

"Americal  Vice  Consul." 

Guadalajara,  Mex.,  Aug.  28th,  1914. 
"To  Will  B.  Davis, 

Consul  of  the  U.  S.,  Present: — 

"Replying  to  your  attentive  note  of  the  22nd,  I  have  to 
say,  that  notwithstanding  the  certificate  of  citizenship  of  Mrs. 
Dolores  Robling  New^ton  contradicts  itself  in  several  in- 
stances, I  have  seen  fit  to  suspend  the  extraordinary  war 
tax  in  her  case — with  others  of  like  nature — pending  the  reso- 
lution of  the  Supreme  Government  of  the  Nation. 
"I  extend  you  assurances  of  my  consideration. 
"(Signed)  MANUEL  M.  DIEGUEZ, 

"Governor  of  the  State  of  Jalisco." 

On  receipt  of  the  above  letter  from  General  Dieguez,  I 
felt  sure  that  the  controversy  wag  practically  ended,  and  later, 
had  full  confirmation  of  same,  which  I  communicated  to  ah' 
interested  parties. 

It  is  hard  to  shoo  these  fellows  away  from  grabbing  other 
people's  money  when  they  start  after  it — especially  when  in 
crouch  to  jump  upon  their  prey — as  I  found  to  be  their  atti- 
tude on  my  return  to  the  Consulate. 

The  exemption  of  those  under  the  protection  of  the 
American  Consulate  from  the  operation  of  this  forced  loan 
edict,  deprived  the  local  Government  of  several  hundred 
thousand  pesos. 


ACCOUNT  OF  FIRST  CARRANZA  ADMINISTRATION    47 


CHAPTER  NINE 

BEING  FURTHER  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  FIRST  CAR- 
RANZA-DIEGUEZ  ADMINISTRATION 

October  31st,  1914. 
Conditions  Now  Prevailing  in  the  Vicinity  of  Guadalajara 

Since  the  advent  of  the  Constitutionalista  army  here,  all 
courts  of  justice  have  been  closed — absolute  militarism  sub- 
stituting. 

The  best  informed  Mexicans  tell  me  that  conditions  are 
better  in  the  State  of  Jalisco,  than  elsewhere  in  the  Re- 
public. 

As  a  sample  of  the  terrorism  prevailing  here,  the  case 
of  three  young  Mexicans  will  exemplify,  as  follows:  At  a 
bicycle  repair  place,  the  young  men  in  question,  in  a  semi- 
jocular  manner,  were  talking  of  making  resistance  to  the 
present  Government,  and  made  a  list  of  others  whom  they 
imagined  would  help.  A  secret  service  man  reported  them. 
All  three  were  arrested,  and  summarily  executed.  Those 
whose  names  the  young  men  had  imprudently  listed,  had 
to  flee  for  their  lives.    This  occurred  about  ten  days  ago. 

As  to  the  civilian  public,  the  feeling  of  disgust,  and  dis- 
trust, of  present  officialdom,  is  universal.  Everybody  ex- 
press themselves  as  having  no  hope  that  the  Mexicans  will 
settle  matters  among  themselves,  in  manner  that  an  early 
return  to  conditions  of  peace  may  obtain. 

The  feeling  towards  Americans  here  is  at  present 
friendly;  and  as  to  the  sentiments  among  Mexicans  toward 
the  Washington  Government,  it  has  grown  apace  in  favor 
of  Washington  until  all  laud  its  past  treatment  of  the  Mex- 
ican Question  now;  and  the  middle  and  upper  classes,  who 
were  most  bitter  in  expressions  of  displeasure  at  what  they 


48      ONE  OF  CARRANZA'S  WAYS  OF  RAISING  MONEY 

termed  American  interference  in  Mexican  affairs  formerly, 
now  proclaim  as  their  belief  that  the  only  hope  of  saving 
this  country  from  a  state  of  anarchy  is  in  outright  and  thor- 
ough intervention  by  the  United  States. 

There  have  been  some  recent  uprisings  by  the  Church 
element  against  the  present  Government  in  some  of  the  out- 
lying sections  of  this  Consular  District,  but  not  yet  of  serious 
import,  except  in  an  indicative  sense.  A  few  churches  in  this 
city  have  been  permitted  to  reopen,  within  the  past  two  weeks, 
but  only  those  frequented  by  the  proletariat. 

Petty  robberies  continue  to  be  numerous,  notwithstanding 
that  in  several  instances  the  perpetrators  were  caught  and 
shot;  three  having  been  executed  yesterday,  for  having  at- 
tempted to  rob  the  brokerage  office  of  American  citizens, 
A.  R.  Downs  &  Co.,  at  about  1 :15  p.  m.  on  the  26th.  In  the 
fray,  E.  R.  Downs  received  a  knife  wound  in  left  groin;  so 
slight,  however,  as  not  to  detain  him  from  business.  The 
would-be  robbers  escaped  at  the  time,  but  were  subsequently 
captured  and  executed. 

One  of  the  many  other  ways  of  extracting  money  from 
private  parties  resorted  to  by  military  officials,  consists  in 
the  arrest  of  the  individual,  and  after  trumping  up  some  charge 
against  him — in  one  case  this,  in  another  that — and  then  giv- 
iing  the  prisoner  the  alternative  of  paying  over  so  many 
thousand  pesos,  or  being  stood  up  and  shot,  at  once.  Paying 
over  the  money  is  always  preferable.  The  same  individuals 
have  been  known  to  have  been  so  victimized,  over  and  over 
again,  by  the  same  faction ;  and  afterwards  by  otlier  factions. 
No  Mexican,  from  whom  it  might  be  thought  money  could 
be  squeezed,  escaped,  and  from  the  best  I  can  judge,  one 
faction  is  just  as  bad  as  the  other,  in  the  perpetration  of 
these  abominable  practices. 

November  5th,  1914. 
An  Account  of  Some  Recent  Cases,  Well  Authenticated,  in 


UNSCRUPULOUSNESS  OF  SOME  OFFICIALS  49 

Further  Exemplification  of  Actual  Conditions  Hereabouts 

I.  The  case  of  Filemon  Lepe,  a  Veterinary  Surgeon,  and 
general  horse  trader,  of  Guadalajara: 

After  Carranza's  armies  reached  here,  Filemon  Lepe  was 
employed  by  General  Blanco,  as  Veterinary  of  his  army. 
General  Blanco  carried  Lepe  with  him  when  he  went  on  to 
Mexico  City,  reaching  there  the  last  of  August.  Lepe  re- 
turned to  Guadalajara  'two  weeks  ago,  bringing  with  him  one 
handsome  automobile  and  five  carriages  of  different  makes. 
After  disporting  himself  about  the  city  in  the  attractive  auto- 
mobile for  a  week,  General  Acosta,  military  commander  of 
the  first  and  fifth  divisions  of  Mexico  City,  arrived  at  Guada- 
lajara, and  a  few  days  thereafter,  had  Filemon  Lepe  arrested, 
and  the  automobile  and  coaches  which  Lepe  had  brought  with 
him  were  shipped  back  to  Mexico  City.  This  occurred  on 
Sunday,  the  1st  of  November,  and  on  the  evening  of  that 
day,  I  was  told  that  said  Lepe  had  been  condemned  to  be 
shot,  by  Military  Governor,  General  Manuel  M.  Dieguez. 
As  I  had  been  Lepe's  family  physician,  as  well  as  physician 
to  the  family  of  his  brother-in-law,  Martin  Calderon,  I  was 
kept  well  posted  of  the  proceedings  in  this  case.  (These  are 
the  same  Calderons  whom  we  knew  so  well  when  you  lived 
here.)  The  Calderon  and  Lepe  families,  and  a  number  of 
their  many  friends  exerted  every  influence  they  could  bring 
to  bear  in  an  endeavor  to  save  Lepe's  life ;  and  to  escape  the 
strenuous  importunities  of  these,  it  was  determined  on  Mon- 
day, the  2nd,  that  Lepe  be  sent  Mexico  City-ward,  with  Gen- 
eral Acosta,  whose  special  cars  were  to  be  attached  to  the 
regular  train  for  Mexico  City,  afternoon  of  the  3rd. 

This  information  was  given  to  Mrs.  Calderon,  at  5  p.  m., 
the  2nd,  thus:  While  I  was  sitting  by  the  side  of  Mrs.  Cal- 
deron, in  the  rotunda  of  the  Hotel  Fenix,  General  Acosta 
came  in,  and  seating  himself  immediately  opposite  Mrs.  C. 
and  myself,  he  told  her  that  he  had  just  come  from  an  inter- 


50  THE  CASE  OF  FILEMON  LEPE 

view  with  Governor  Dieguez,  and  that  her  brother  was  not 
to  be  shot,  but  sent  with  him  to  Mexico  City  the  next  day. 
Seeing  Mrs.  Calderon's  great  agitation  on  receiving  this  in- 
formation, and  hearing  her  expressions  of  apprehension  that 
"la  ley  fuga"  (shooting  a  prisoner  while  pretending  to  carry 
him  to  some  other  place,  and  afterwards  reporting  he  had  tried 
to  escape — a  common  Mexican  practice)  would  be  applied 
to  her  brother  while  en  route.  General  Acosta  tried  to  calm 
her  by  assuring  her  that  no  harm  could  come  to  her  brother 
while  under  his,  General  A.'s  care.  But  Mrs.  C.  was  incon- 
solable, and  said  she  would  go  at  once  to  see  the  daughters 
of  the  old  Federal  Division  Commander,  General  Clemente 
Villaseiior,  who  would  accompany  her  on  the  same  train  on 
which  her  brother  was  to  be  taken,  and  that  they  would 
jointly  appeal  to  General  Blanco,  chief  in  command  of  the 
Constitutionalista  (Carranza)  forces  in  Mexico  City.  This 
displeased  General  Acosta,  and  he  accused  Mrs,  C.  of  doubt- 
ing his  honor.  Mrs.  C.  answered  that  the  life  of  her  brother 
was  at  stake,  and  to  save  him,  and  his  family's  honor,  was  the 
only  thing  she  had  in  view,  and  that  she  thought  it  unfair, 
under  such  circumstances,  for  General  Acosta  to  assume  that 
she  could  consider  the  question  of  other  people's  honor.  The 
conversation  soon  ended,  and  every  one  went  his  way.  I 
wish  to  say,  by  way  of  parenthesis,  that  I  did  not  take  any 
part  in  the  conversation,  and  was  as  if  not  present,  except 
that  Mrs.  Calderon  once  referred  to  me  incidentally,  as  hav- 
ing been  their  and  Lepe's  family  physician,  and  said  that  I 
knew  Mr.  L.  to  be  an  honest  man.  This  latter  I  neither 
denied,  or  confirmed. 

Finale : — General  Acosta  did  not  take  Filemon  Lepe  with 
him  towards  Mexico  City,  but  had  no  sooner  departed  from 
Guadalajara,  than  said  Lepe  was  put  at  liberty,  on  the  promise 
of  delivering  to  Governor  Dieguez,  for  the  latter's  private  use, 
five  head  of  the  best  horses  then  in  the  possession  of  said 


I 

OTHER  OUTRAGEOUS  PROCEEDINGS  51 

Lepe.  This  I  had  heard  from  various  sources,  and  meeting 
Filemon  Lepe  yesterday,  the  4th,  he  confirmed  the  same  to 
me! 

II.  Case  of  a  Mexican  Girl,  Name  Unknown: — The  Clerk 
of  this  Consulate,  Mr.  Charles  B.  Corrothers,  lives  in  a  suburb 
of  this  city,  in  which  there  are  as  yet  few  houses.  One  day 
recently,  at  10  a.  m.,  the  servants  of  the  house  told  Mrs.  Cor- 
rothers that  a  Carranza  officer  was  forcibly  carrying  off  a 
young  Mexican  girl.  Mrs.  C.  thought  that  if  she  went  out 
on  the  street  where  this  was  happening,  that  possibly  the 
officer  would  desist ;  so,  with  all  the  servants  of  the  premises, 
she  went  out  and  watched  what  was  happening.  The  girl 
was  crying,  and  begging  the  officer,  saying  that  if  he  had  any 
reasons  to  arrest  her,  that  he  take  her  through  the  streets, 
and  not  as  he  was  forcing  her,  to  go  into  fields.  When  the 
officer  noticed  that  he  was  being  observed  by  Mrs.  Corrothers 
and  her  servants,  he  rode  over  to  where  they  were,  and  asked 
them  if  they  had  never  seen  people  before.  Mrs.  C.  answered, 
yes,  that  they  had  seen  many  people,  and  were  especially 
observing  then,  what  he  was  doing  with  that  poor  girl.  The 
officer  immediately  rode  back  toward  the  girl,  who  had  taken 
advantage  of  the  interruption  to  try  to  make  her  escape.  The 
last  seen  of  the  girl,  the  officer  was  forcing  her  to  accompany 
him,  through  by-ways. 

III.  The  Case  of  Twenty-five  Men : — A  short  time  since, 
a  number  of  people,  men,  women  and  children,  attended  re- 
ligious services  in  the  chapel  of  a  private  residence  of  the  city. 
(All  churches  were  closed  at  this  particlar  time.)  As  the 
worshippers  were  emerging  from  the  building,  Carranza  sol- 
diers arrested  all  of  the  men  (twenty-five  in  number),  on 
charges  of  conspiracy  against  the  Government.  Each  "sus- 
pect" had  to  pay  one  thousand  pesos  to  obtain  his  liberty — for 
having  attempted  to  worship  God,  according  to  the  dictates 
of  his  conscience.     In  other  words,  to  try  to  hold  religious 


52  FURTHER  ACCOUNTS  OF  LEPE  CASE 

services  in  any  manner  under  the  then  Government,  was  con- 
sidered as  an  act  of  conspiracy.  At  any  rate,  such  has  been 
used  in  more  than  one  instance,  as  an  excuse  to  extract  money 
from  the  civilian  public. 

November  5th,  1914. 
Some  Interesting  Documentary  Facts  Relating  to  the  Case  of 

Filemon  Lepe 

Since  closing  above  letter  there  was  brought  to  this 
Consulate,  by  one  near  to  Filemon  Lepe,  the  originals 
of  documents  bearing  on  the  case,  and  officially  signed  by 
General  M.  M.  Acosta,  who  was  Lepe's  prosecutor,  copies  of 
which,  with  their  respective  translations  into  English,  are 
herewith  enclosed — authorizing  said  Lepe  to  bring  with  him, 
on  his  mission  to  Guadalajara,  the  automobile  and  coaches  in 
question;  and  which  "mission"  was  to  sell  them  there  for 
the  benefit  of  a  party  whose  personality  is  not  far  in  the 
background  of  the  ugly  picture.  (The  Amando  Lepe  referred 
to  in  said  documents  is  the  father  of  Filemon.) 

I  have  been  told  that  recently  there  has  been  quite  a 
furore  in  Mexico  City,  on  account  of  robberies  of  many  kinds 
from  private  citizens — especially  automobiles,  coaches  and 
horses-^and  that  Generals  Blanco,  Acosta  and  others  in 
authority  there,  have  been  severely  criticised  as  being  re- 
sponsible for  them,  and  that  fearing  for  their  own  fate  after 
the  prospective  early  change  of  Government,  they  are  trying 
to  clear — or  white-wash — themselves  in  the  blood  of  innocent 
people,  or  those  inferioi   in  authority. 

The  Lepe  case  not  only  proves  the  intent  of  a  superior 
officer,  to  try  to  have  the  life  of  an  inferior — less  guilty  than 
himself — sacrificed,  to  save  his  own  reputation,  but  also  the 
estimate  put  upon  human  life,  as  compared  to  the  value  of 
horse  flesh,  in  the  humane  conception  of  General  Manuel  M. 
Dieguez,  Military  Governor  of  the  State  of  Jalisco! 


DOCUMENTARY  PROOFS  IN  LEPE  CASE  53 

Following  are  copies  of  the  three  orders  referred  to,  given 
in  full,  correctly  translated  from  the  Spanish : 

SEAL:    Mexican  Republic. 

Army  of  the  North-West. 
Headquarters  Cavalry 
Division :    Number  2657. 

The  "Bens"  automobile,  which  has  been  at  your  service 
here,  you  may  dispose  of  to  take  to  Guadalajara,  for  use  in 
the  commission  you  carry. 

The  First  Chief  of  the  Cavalry  Division. 
Constitution  and  Reform 
Mexico,  October  11,  1914. 

(Signed)  M.  M.  ACOSTA. 
To  Citizen, 

Filemon  Lepe, 
Present. 

SEAL:   Mexicon  Republic. 

Army  of  the  North-West. 
Headquarters  Cavalry 
Division :   Number  2658. 

Citizen     Filemon     Lepe,    private    employe    of    General 
Blanco,  goes  to  Guadalajara  on  a  mission  of  this  General 
Headquarters,  and  it  is  requested  of  all  authorities,  chiefs  and 
officials  of  the  Constitutionalist  army,  that  he  be  respected, 
and  given  all  protection  he  may  ask  for. 
Constitution  and  Reform 
Mexico,  October  11,  1914. 
The  First  Chief  of  the  Cavalry  Division. 

(Signed)  M.  M.  ACOSTA. 
To  the  Citizens, 

Chief,  Officers  and  Constitutional  Authorities. 


54  THE  CASE  OF  FILEMON  LEPE  CONCLUDED 

SEAL:   Mexicon  Republic. 
Army  of  the  North-West. 
Headquarters  Cavalry 
Division :  Number  2659. 

The  coaches,  automobiles  and  horses  that  have  been 
shipped  to  Guadalajara  in  cars  Nos.  24394,  25850  and  25076, 
and  which  have  been  consigned  to  Mr.  Amado  Lepe,  by  order 
of  this  headquarters,  and  by  the  Military  Commandante  here, 
should  be  delivered  by  the  proper  parties  to  Mr.  Lej)e  im- 
mediately on  arrival. 

Constitution  and  Reform 
Mexico,  October  11,  1914. 
The  First  Chief  of  the  Cavalry  Division. 

(Signed)  M.  M.  ACOSTA. 
To  Whom  It  May  Concern. 

Could  any  one  require  stronger  proofs  of  the  justness 
of  my  indictments  of  Generals  Acosta  and  Dieguez?  "We 
should  worry!" 

Moreover,  I  was  afterwards  informed  by  Filemon  Lepe, 
that  he  had  been  entnisted  with  the  vehicles  in  question,  and 
commissioned  to  bring  them  to  Guadalajara,  and  sell  them, 
for  Generals  Blanco  and  Acosta's  account.  But  popular 
clamor  against  the  many  robberies  in  Mexico  City  had  in 
the  meantime  grown  so  rife,  that  it  was  thought  best  to 
make  some  restitutions,  and  among  the  goods  to  be  so  re- 
turned to  their  proper  owners,  happened  to  be  these,  at  the 
time  in  the  possession  of  Filemon  Lepe,  while  at  Guadalajara, 
where  he  was  trying  to  sell  them. 

It  was  the  belief  of  Lepers  friends,  that  on  account  of 
the  fact  that  General  Acosta  knew  that  the  American  Con- 
sul was  advised  of  his  behavior  in  this  case,  was  the  chief 
cause  of  Lepe's  escape  from  what  would  have  been  one  of 
the  most  dastardly  murders  ever  committed  by  man;  which 


ON  PRESENT,  AND  PROSPECTIVE  CONDITIONS        55 

goes  to  show  that  although  some  people  may  be  conscience- 
less in  their  conduct  toward  their  fellow-beings  where  they 
may  think  it  would  never  be  known — nevertheless,  they  will 
shrink  from  doing  certain  things,  if  they  fear  publicity — they 
will  skulk  away  from  their  prey  at  the  approach  of  dis- 
covering light,  as  all  thieves  and  murderers  who  hope  to  con- 
summate their  atrocities  under  the  cover  of  darkness.  Would 
that  the  acts  of  more  of  such  semi-legalized  banditry — 
which  is  being  perpetrated  all  over  the  Republic  of  Mexico 
during  these  revolutions — could  be  brought  out  and  kept  ex- 
posed to  the  light  of  day,  than  it  is  possible  for  these  chron- 
icles to  recount! 

November  7th,  1914. 
Conditions  Prevailing  and  Actually  Threatening,  Hereabouts 

In  further  prosecution  of  the  above  subject,  I  have  to  say, 
that  although  this  is  the  most  favored  section  of  the  Republic 
of  Mexico,  it  is  now  in  the  vespertine  stage  of  a  succeeding 
day,  which  will  bring  to  these  people  dire  distress  and  want. 
While  the  prices  of  all  primary  articles  of  food,  clothing,  etc., 
have  advanced  para  pasu  with  the  increasing  rates  of  foreign 
exchange,  the  wages  of  the  people  are  the  same  as  hereto- 
fore. For  instance,  sugar,  which  formerly — (when  exchange 
was  two  Mexican  pesos  for  one  American  dollar) — sold  for  20 
centavos  per  kilo,  is  now  selling  for  50  centavos  per  kilo. 

The  late  minimum  wage  edict  of  General  Dieguez  has 
thrown  thousands  of  laborers  out  of  employment.  On  ac- 
count of  this  edict,  and  the  absence  of  "guarantias"  (pro- 
tection) many  haciendados  will  not  sow  wheat  this  season — 
they  will  also  abandon  many  other  crops — and  this  is  being 
done  to  such  an  extent,  that  conservative  people  here, 
prophesy  that  before  the  middle  of  1915,  actual  starvation  will 
be  at  the  doors  of  thousands,  who  never  before  had  ex- 
perienced the  pangs  of  hunger. 


56         CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  LOCAL  AMERICANS 

If  this  is  a  true  pen-picture  of  the  prospective  economic 
future  that  threatens  here,  one  would  wonder  what  may  be 
that  of  some  sections  of  the  northern  part  of  the  Republic; 
at  least  where,  in  my  journey  from  El  Paso  to  Aguascalientes, 
made  about  the  middle  of  August,  there  could  not  be  seen 
the  promise  of  a  single  tortolla  in  the  corn  fields  that  could 
be  observed  from  the  windows  of  the  railway  coaches;  nor 
a  frijol,  or  one  garbanzo.  At  that  time  I  was  told  that  the 
people  of  those  sections  were  living  on  foods  which  had  been 
shipped  in  from  elsewhere.  The  crops  from  Lagos  and  Leon, 
to  Guadalajara,  were  excellent;  but  this  section  cannot  feed 
the  whole  Republic  of  Mexico. 

Truly,  the  economic  conditions  confronting  these  people, 
promise  soon  to  become  more  deplorable  than  any  they  have 
yet  had  to  suffer — and  the  greatest  sufferings  will — as  they 
always  do  in  such  cases — fall  upon  the  poor;  upon  those  least 
responsible  for  the  conditions  that  have  obtained  in  this 
country. 

November  28th,  1914. 
Correspondence  With  Local  People,  Bearing  on  American 
Interests  Hereabouts 
I  am  herewith  transmitting  copies  of  correspondences 
recently  had  concerning  the  doings,  by  armed  forces  with 
the  Amparo  Mining  Company,  Cinco  Minas  Company,  and 
the  Santa  Efigenia  Milling  Company — each  of  which  will  ex- 
plain itself. 

Amparo  Mining  Co  ,  Etzatlan,  Jalisco,  Nov,  26,  1914. 
Will  B.  Davis, 

American  Consul, 

Guadalajara,  Mexico. 
"Dear  Sir:— On  Thursday,  the  24th,  at  2  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon,  a  band  of  men,  calling  themselves  Villistas,  to  the 
number  of  possibly  6.S,  came  in  on  this  place.     They  sur- 


LETTER  FROM  JAS.  HOWARD  57 

rounded  the  mill,  sending  a  small  force  to  the  mine — a  place 
we  call  No.  2  shaft — where  the  principle  extraction  of  ore 
takes  place.  My  brother,  Mr.  William  Howard,  was  on  his 
way  from  the  mill  to  the  administration  building  which,  as 
you  are  aware,  is  situated  about  two  kilometers  from  the  mill. 
He  rode  right  into  a  bunch  of  these  fellows,  and  was  im- 
mediately made  prisoner. 

"The  cabecilla  in  command,  a  man  from  Ameca  by  the 
name  of  Francisco  Diaz,  came  down  to  the  administration 
building,  and  while  he  behaved  decently,  took  what  money 
we  had  in  the  safe,  amounting  to  4,090  pesos ;  also  five  rifles — 
which  were  those,  you  will  remember,  that  were  sold  to  us 
by  the  United  States  Consul,  Mr.  Magill,  a  couple  of  years 
ago.  They  also  took  fourteen  head  of  horses  belonging  to  the 
company,  and  to  various  foreign  employes.  They  broke  into 
the  store,  and  took  379  pesos  from  the  safe,  but  did  no  loot- 
ing— in  fact,  they  spent  39  pesos  of  the  money  they  had 
taken,  in  making  purchases  in  the  store!  Various  employes 
were  robbed  of  small  amounts;  but  otherwise  the  behavior 
of  the  men  was  rather  better  than  would  have  been  expected. 

"Before  leaving,  they  intimated  they  would  send  back  for 
more  money  later.  Would  you  kindly  take  a  note  of  these 
occurrences,  communicating  the  same  to  Washington,  so  that 
the  matter  can  be  brought,  later,  to  the  notice  of  General 
Francisco  Villa,  throug  the  United  States  representative  who 
accompanies  him? 

"Our  Mr.  Askew  may  leave  for  Manzanillo  on  business 
for  us  in  the  next  few  days,  and  would  carry  any  letters  you 
might  wish  to  send  out  of  the  country,  via  Pacific  Mail 
Steamer,  due  at  Manzanillo  the  13th.  Would  you  send  us 
any  kind  of  a  letter,  in  such  terms  as  you  might  consider 
would  be  useful  to  us;  as,  under  existing  conditions  we  may 
expect  a  repetition  of  such  a  visit  as  I  have  reported,  for  we 
hear  of  various  revolutionary  movements  in  the  neighbor- 


58   MY  ANSWER  TO  JAS.  HOWARD  AND  F.  W.  OLDFIELD 

hood.  You  of  course  know  the  value  of  the  five  rifles,  and 
the  six  rounds  of  ammunition,  because  they  were  bought  from 
the  American  Consul ;  and  we  will  send  you  later,  a  valuation 
on  the  horses.  Would  it  be  possible  for  you  to  suggest  to 
the  State  Department  in  Washington,  that  the  United  States 
representative,  whoever  he  may  be,  that  accompanied  Gen- 
eral Villa,  should  ask  the  said  Francisco  Villa  to  send  orders 
to  this  State,  to  respect  American  property?  Something  of 
the  kind  might  help  out." 

(Signed)  JAS.  HOWARD, 

General  Manager. 
Guadalajara,  November  27th,  1914. 

"Mr.  Jas.  Howard,  General  Manager  Amparo  Mining  Co., 

Etzatlan,  Jal. 

"Dear  Sir: — I  have  to  say  in  reply  to  yours  of  the  26th, 
received  today,  that  I  am  having  copies  of  same  made — as 
well  as  of  some  other  letters  recently  received  at  the  Con- 
sulate concerning  similar  complaints — for  transmission  to 
Washington  by  first  opportunity. 

"Under  date  of  October  31st,  the  Department  of  State 
telegraphed  me  for  information  as  to  the  (then)  existing  con- 
ditions in  this  vicinity,  in  answer  to  which  I  have  written  a 
series  of  some  four  or  five  dispatches,  and  while  in  these  I 
made  no  pretense  of  relating  the  multitude  of  ugly  incidents 
which  have  occurred  hereabouts  recently,  I  gave  a  few 
selected,  and  well  authenticated  cases,  and  a  description  of 
the  general  feeling,  etc.,  which  I  cannot  but  believe  conveyed 
to  Washington  as  accurate  a  pen-picture  of  the  economico- 
political  situations,  both  present  and  prospective,  as  could 
well  be  mentally  codaked  of  such  a  Pandora-box  of  a  subject. 

"As  to  my  estimating  for  you  the  value  of  the  guns,  you 
must  do  that  yourself;  and  to  this  end  I  am  herewith  enclos- 
ing a  copy  of  Department's  circular  instructions  on  the  sub- 


LETTER  FROM  J.  B.  MULHALL  59 

ject.  You  perhaps  had  better  wait  until  this  cruel  war  is 
over,  keeping  in  the  meantime  accurate  accounts  of  all  losses 
and  damages  at  the  hands  of  armed  forces. 

"(Signed),  WILL  B.  DAVIE,  Vice  Consul." 

"Guadalajara,  November  27th,  1914. 
"Mr.  F.  W.  Oldfield,  Manager  Cinco  Minas  Co.,  Magdalena, 

Jalisco 

"Dear  Sir: — Enclosed  please  find  copies  of  correspon- 
dence which  I  have  recently  had  with  the  Governor  of  this 
State,  regarding  contents  of  your  letter  to  this  Consulate, 
which  was  dated  November  19th.  I  would  infer  from  the 
Governor's  reply  to  my  communication,  that  he  has  no  inten- 
tion of  making  good  the  amount  (960  pesos),  that  you  were 
compelled  to  deliver  to  Captain  Perez.  I  suggest,  therefore, 
that  you  include  this  amount  in  your  claims  for  damages 
sustained  by  your  company  during  these  war  times. 

"(Signed),  WILL  B.  DAVIS,  Vice  Consul. 

"Amatlan  de  Canas,  November  19,  1914. 
"Will  B.  Davis,  American  Consul,  Guadalajara,  Mexico. 

"My  Dear  Sir: — Can  you  tell  me  if  peace  has  been  de- 
clared? Every  one  here  says  so,  and  for  my  own  personal 
safety,  and  that  of  my  wife,  I  would  like  to  know  the  truth, 
it  possible. 

"I  have  opened  all  branches  of  my  work,  but  we  have  no 
protection  at  all ;  and  if  I  can't  have  protection,  then  I  will 
close  all  work  down,  and  go  to  Guadalajara. 

"On  the  11th  of  the  present  month,  the  people  in  this 
town  rose  up  against  the  Carranza  Government,  killed  the 
Commandante^  and  gave  the  Prefect  so  many  hours  to  leave 
town ;  and  owing  to  this,  we  have  no  authorities  in  power 
here  at  present.  Last  evening,  at  5  P.  M.,  the  crowd  that 
raised  up  here  for  Villa,  came  in  with  a  force  they  had  gath- 


60  MULHALL'S  LETTER  AND  MY  REPLY 

ered  together  at  Ameca,  and  it  was  only  a  few  moments  until 
one  of  them  came  for  my  pistol,  which  I  did  not  give  up ;  and 
presently,  along  came  two  more,  for  my  pistol  and  horse; 
and  as  my  horse  had  died  last  Sunday,  I  told  them  it  lay 
dead  down  on  the  Plaza — if  they  wanted  it.  Well,  very 
shortly  another  hombrc  came  and  said  his  Captain  wanted  to 
see  me  on  business  at  the  Meson,  and  I  told  him  to  tell  his 
Jefe  to  come  to  my  house;  but  he  sent  again  and  said  to 
excuse  him,  that  he  was  very  busy,  and  for  me  to  come  to 
the  Meson.  So  I  went  along  with  my  wife,  as  I  could  not 
leave  her  at  home  alone,  owing  to  having  no  confidence  in 
this  class  of  people.  Wc  were  received  with  respect,  and 
have  nothing  to  complain  of  as  to  their  conduct.  The  Captain 
wanted  to  know  if  I  wished  to  help  them  out  with  a  loan, 
and  for  which  he  would  give  me  his  receipt,  which  would 
serve  me  as  an  order  on  General  Villa,  then  at  Aguascalien- 
tes.  I  gave  them  ten  pesos  as  I  knew  the  Captain  personally. 
He  is  an  Amatlan  man — as  well  as  several  of  his  soldiers, 
who  have  worked  for  me. 

"Here  is  the  question :  There  will  be  outside  gangs  com- 
ing in,  whom  I  may  not  know,  and  if  Villa  cannot  give  pro- 
tection, as  he  said  he  would  to  Americans,  then  I  want  to  get 
out.  I  shall  hope  to  hear  from  you  soon.  But  if  peace  has 
been  declared,  then  why  can't  we  have  a  force  of  soldiers  out 
here?  This  has  always  been  a  very  bad  place;  and  a  strong 
jefe  should  be  sent  out  here,  with  no  less  than  50  soldiers  to 
keep  order,  as  a  force  of  10  or  12  gendarmes  cannot  keep  law 
and  order  in  this  town ;  for  it  has  been  tried  several  times,  and 
each  time  they  have  been  run  out. 

"(Signed),  J.  B.  MULHALL." 

"Guadalajara,  November  23rd,  1914. 
"Mr.  J.  B.  Mulhall,  Amatlan  de  Canas,  Territory  of  Tepic. 
"Dear  Sir : — Replying  to  yours  of  the  19th,  I  have  to  say 


GUADALAJARA  DURING  A  STATE  OF  ISOLATION      61 

that  we  are  compelled,  from  this  view-point,  to  try  to  observe 
what  is  going  on  through  as  highly  obscured  mediums  as 
you  are  yourself  reduced  to  at  Amatlan  de  Canas ;  for  we  have 
not  had  any  mail  from  Mexico  City  for  over  two  weeks,  and 
no  telegraphic  communcation.  If  I  were  to  advise  you  under 
these  circumstances,  it  would  be  as  the  blind  leading  the 
blind,  for  our  facilities  for  finding  out  what  may  be  happen- 
ing beyond  the  bridge  of  our  respective  noses  are  equally  un- 
satisfactory. 

"(Signed),  WILL  B.  DAVIS,  Vice  Consul."    . 

"December  12,  1914. 

Condition  of  Affairs  at  Guadalajara,  while  this  Section  has 

been  isolated 

"We  have  been  cut  off  from  communication  with  the 
outside  world  ever  since  the  16th  of  November,  that  having 
been  the  last  day  that  a  through-train  reached  here.  I  have 
inquired  at  the  telegraph  office  daily  to  ascertain  if  a  tele- 
gram could  be  sent,  but  without  favorable  results.  Quiet 
has  reigned  to  a  remarkable  degree  under  the  circumstances. 

"Americans  have  not  been  molested,  nor  do  they  ap- 
prehend any  special  danger.  We  have  been  expecting  that 
the  Villa  forces  would  reach  Guadalajara  soon,  but  the  time 
is  becoming  long  drawn  out.  Inasmuch  as  at  any  time  I 
have  not  felt  in  personal  danger,  I  have  remained  at  my 
post,  and  been  enabled  to  help  out  in  several  cases  of  Amer- 
ican interests,  and  serve  as  a  sort  of  moral  stay  to  the  Amer- 
icans here,  keeping  in  mind  the  State  Department's  instruc- 
tions, leaving  certain  matters  to  my  personal  discretion.  Var- 
ious rumors  have  been  fabricated  almost  daily,  the  most 
amusing  of  which  was  set  afloat  by  a  fake  telegram,  which 
was  generally  believed  by  the  Mexicans,  and  which  reads  as 
follows : 


62     JAPANESE  CANARD  AND  CASE  OF  THREE  WOMEN 

"  'Japanese   Steamer   "Itzuma,"    12-8-1914,   off   Chamela,   via 

Manzanillo. 

"  'I,  Yoshito,  Micado  of  Japan,  the  Empire  of  the  Rising 
Sun,  and  the  Chrisanthymum,  in  the  name  of  the  Almighty, 
do  declare  war  to  the  American  Republics  of  the  United 
States  and  Mexico,  for  offenses  and  injuries  committed  by 
citizens  of  both  countries  to  Japanese  residents  in  the  West- 
ern coasts  of  North  America.  I  also  hereby  declare,  that  our 
fleet  will  be  sent  to  Manzanillo  to  take  that  place  by  blood 
and  fire,  and  land  our  army  which  will  force  its  march  inland 
to  the  Capitol  and  plant  our  glorious  flag  on  the  ancient 
palaces  of  the  Moctezumas. 

*NIPON  BANZE,  (Signed),  K.  IKEDA,  Rear  Admiral.' 

"As  ludicrous  as  the  Japanese  canard  appeared  upon  its 
face,  the  Mexican  public — without  regard  to  class — believed 
it  to  be  bona  fide ;  only  they  could  not  understand  why  Japan 
was  going  to  make  war  on  Mexico  when  the  latter  had  always 
proved  herself  to  be  so  pro-Japanese  and  anti-American!  To 
try  to  convince  them  that  the  telegram  was  only  a  fake,  was 
to  waste  so  much  time.  Of  course,  it  was  true;  and  some 
went  so  far  as  to  say  the  telegram  had  been  traced  down  and 
proven   to   have   come   through    perfectly    reliable   channels! 

A  party  of  three  women  and  a  man  came  to  my  room 
at  3:15  this  morning;  and  when  awake — the  lights  having  al- 
ready been  turned  on  by  the  servant  admitting  them — I  saw 
all  three  of  the  women  on  their  knees,  with  their  hands  ex- 
tended in  imploring  attitudes,  and  as  in  one  voice,  beseeching 
me  "for  the  love  of  God,  and  the  Virgin  Mary,"  to  intercede 
with  the  Governor  on  behalf  of  their  husbands,  who  had  been 
condemned  to  be  shot  at  6  A.  M.  The  women  were  ordinarily 
clad,  but  the  man  was  a  well  dressed  person.  When  I  ex- 
plained to  them  why  I  could  not  intermeddle  in  such  matters, 
the  man  insisted  that  I  do  so  on  grounds  of  humanity.    They 


HUSBANDS  OF  THE  THREE  WOMEN  ARE  EXECUTED  63 

went  away  seemingly  much  dissatisfied  and  joined  in  a  com- 
mon chorus  of,  "l  que  hombre  de  corazon  empedrenado!" 
(What  a  man,  with  a  heart  of  stone!) 

The  women  had  told  me  that  the  German  Consul  had  prom- 
ised to  intercede  for  the  lives  of  the  husbands.  My  answer 
was  that  I  did  not  know  how  the  German  Government  viewed 
such  matters,  but  was  sure  that  my  Government  would  cen- 
sure any  of  its  representatives  should  they  so  meddle  in  pure- 
ly Mexican  affairs.  I  spoke  to  the  German  Consul  at  noon, 
that  day,  when  he  confirmed  to  me  the  statement  of  the  wo- 
men as  to  his  promise  to  intercede,  and  which  he  had  under- 
taken to  do,  as  he  said,  at  5,  that  morning. 

I  asked  him  with  what  result,  and  he  answered  that  the 
men  had  been  executed  at  2  o'clock — just  three  hours  before 
he  reached  General  Dieguez.  This  was  one  hour  before  the 
women  had  called  on  me!!  I  afterwards  learned  that  the  men 
in  question  had  for  years  been  notorious  criminals  and  had 
been  outlawed  by  all  of  the  local  Governments,  of  whatever 
faction,  which  would  imply  that  they  must  have  been  very 
bad  hombres  indeed;  and  this  went  far  in  relieving  my  feel- 
ings of  distress  at  being  debarred  from  trying  to  do  some- 
thing to  alleviate  the  unhappiness  of  the  three  bereft  and 
widowed  women. 

Thus  endeth  my  account  of  the  First  Term  of  the 
Dieguez  Administration. 


64  CARRANCISTAS  EVACUTE  GUADALAJARA 


CHAPTER  TEN 

BEING  A  BRIEF  ACCOUNT  OF  A  SHORT  INTER- 
REGNUM 

"December  15th,  1914. 
The  Evacuation  of  Guadalajara  by  the  Carranzistas 

Before  entering  on  an  account  of  the  First  Term  of  the 
Villa  Administration,  I  will  tell  you  about  how  Guadalajara 
conducted  herself  during  an  interregnum — the  time  elapsing 
between  the  abandonment  of  the  city  by  the  Carrancistas 
and  the  entrance  of  the  Villistas: 

I  transmit  herewith  copies  of  General  Dieguez*  edict, 
issued  just  before  leaving  Guadalajara.  The  edict  was  simply 
a  farce;  but  it  gave  the  Dieguez  Government  an  excuse  to 
sack  the  Palace,  and  some  of  the  other  Government  buildings, 
before  departing,  under  the  guise  of  moving  the  seat  of  Gov- 
ernment from  Guadalajara  to  Ciudad  Guzman,  about  half 
way  between  here  and  Manzanillo,  on  the  line  of  the  Mexican 
Central  R.  R. 

Learning  of  the  departure  of  the  Carranzista  forces, 
which  occurred  early  yesterday  morning,  I  went  to  the 
Palace,  but  found  it  closed.  I  then  went  to  the  Ayuntamiento 
(City  Hall)  building,  where  I  met  Seiior  Louis  Castellanos, 
Presidente  of  the  Ayuntamiento  (City  Council),  and  he  in- 
formed me  that  he  had  been  charged  by  the  departing  Gover- 
nor with  the  management  of  affairs  until  the  arrival  of  the 
Villista  forces,  then  some  fifty  miles  out,  at,  or  near,  Ocotlan, 
where  their  progress  towards  Guadalajara  had  been  delayed 
on  account  of  the  destruction  of  a  bridge  which  the  Carr- 
anzistas had  effected  before  retreating  from  there.  He  ad- 
mitted the  delicacy  of  the  situation,  saying  that  there  were 


A  BRIEF  INTERREGNUM  AT  GUADALAJARA  65 

but  a  few  city  policemen  available,  and  that  there  was  not 
any  money  on  hand  to  pay  a  force,  because  Governor  Dieguez 
had  demanded  the  last  cent  in  the  city  treasury  before 
leaving. 

He  agreed  to  calling  a  general  meeting  of  the  represen- 
tative citizens,  including  the  Consular  corps,  at  the  Ayunta- 
miento  building  for  4  P.  M.,  that  day,  to  advise  as  to  the  best 
measures  to  be  taken  for  the  protection  of  the  city  until  the 
Villista  forces  could  arrive,  and  he  insisted  on  my  attending 
said  meeting.  I  attended,  but  did  not  take  active  part  in 
the  proceedings.  (Everybody,  without  regard  to  nationality, 
were  interested  in  the  maintainance  of  peace  and  order  during 
this  interim.)  At  the  meeting  a  committee  of  five  represen- 
tative citizens  were  named  and  given  powers  to  provide  for 
public  safety,  and  were  guaranteed  ample  funds  to  defray  all 
expenses.  All  who  could  offer  their  services  for  police  duty 
were  requested  to  report  by  6  P.  M.  at  their  respective  Comi- 
sarias  (police  stations)  with  such  arms  as  they  might  have, 
where  each  would  receive  written  authority  to  act,  and  would 
be  duly  assigned;  and  it  was  agreed  that  any  one  pretending 
to  patrol  the  city  after  that  hour,  who  could  not  produce  such 
written  authority,  was  to  be  arrested.  Up  to  the  present 
moment,  5  P.  M.,  15th,  complete  queit  has  reigned  in  the 
city  and  business  houses,  which  were  all  closed  throughout 
yesterday,  are  opening  their  doors  again.  During  all  of  yes- 
terday the  people  were  in  a  panicky  state.  I  advised  Amer- 
icans to  maintain  calm  attitudes — for  each  to  conduct  himself 
as  if  he  felt  secure — and  not  to  display  the  country's  colors, 
as  other  nationals  were  doing,  but  to  be  ready  at  a  moment's 
notice,  to  close  up  everything  tight,  and  then  raise  the  colors. 
In  the  meantime  I  had  three  automobiles  with  good  chauf- 
feurs ready  to  fly  over  the  city  and  warn  all  Americans  to 
come  to  the  Consulate.  This  I  could  have  accomplished  in 
a  very  short  space  of  time  with  the  aid  of  my  ready-prepared 


66       SUBJECT  OF  BRIEF  INTERREGNUM  CONTINUED 

list  of  every  American  citizen,  which  I  always  keep  on  hand, 
though  I  really  did  not  expect  to  have  to  use  it  on  this  oc- 
casion. 

A  commission  is  out  at  present  to  try  to  reach  the  Vill- 
istas  and  to  urge  them  to  the  city  at  the  earliest  possible 
moment,  but  as  yet  it  has  not  succeeded.  Nor  have  we  been 
able  to  learn  who  is  in  command  of  the  Villistas,  or  who  has 
been  commissioned  by  the  Villista  President,  Gutierrez,  (at 
least  who  was  Provisional  President  the  last  time  we  heard 
anything  from  the  outside  world,)  to  be  Governor  of  this 
State. 

From  this  time  on,  I  will  note  down  happenings  as  they 
may  occur,  and  forward  by  first  opportunity,  together  with 
other  mail  already  accumulated.  We  have  had  no  trains  for 
some  time  except  purely  military  convoys. 

Thus  the  city  of  Guadalajara  had  the  only  opportunity 
in  her  long  history,  perhaps,  of  posing  as  a  pure- and  unadul- 
terated "Miss  Democracy,"  even  for  so  short  a  period  of  time. 
Nevertheless,  and  notwithstanding  the  profound  sense  of  in- 
security felt  by  her  whole  population,  she  was  never  more 
well  behaved,  if  we  are  to  judge  from  the  absence  of  infrac- 
tions of  the  peace  and  well  being  of  the  community,  than 
during  the  entire  time  of  the  interregnum.  Volunteer  guards- 
men, afoot  and  mounted,  policed  every  part  of  the  city  day 
and  night.  Every  hour  of  the  night  sounds  of  horses*  hoofs 
resounded  upon  the  pavements  as  the  mounted  patrols  were 
passing,  and  at  frequent  intervals  cries  of  "All's  well"  could 
be  heard  as  word  was  passed  from  beat  to  beat  by  the  ama- 
teur infantry  police  on  guard.  All  was  well,  because  the 
civilian  population  had  taken  matters  into  their  own  hands 
for  the  time — but  the  contingency  had  been  forced  upon 
them.  What  if  the  true  taxpaying  citizens  of  Mexico  should 
try  this  experiment  for  longer  periods  of  time  and  on  a  larger 
scale? — ah,  that  would  be  a  revolution  worth  while! 


SOME  OF  CONSULAR  CORPS  TRIED  TO  "ASSIST"      67 

NOTE:  The  following  was  not  written  until  February 
2d,  1915.  It  refers  to  occurrences  which  transpired  during 
the  time  we  are  now  treating  of,  and  anticipates  a  little  in 
its  references  to  General  Dieguez's  return  to  Guadalajara. 
We  nevertheless  think  this  is  the  more  proper  place  to  in- 
sert it. 

February  2d,  1915. 
The  Behavior  of  Some  of  the  Consular  Corps  When  General 
Dieguez  Evacuated  Gladalajara. 

During  the  change  from  Carranza  to  Villa  Governments 
here,  about  six  weeks  ago,  several  Consular  representatives 
offered  their  services  to  the  citizens'  committee,  to  go  out 
and  conduct  General  Villa  into  the  city.  The  committee 
made  quite  a  show  and  created  a  sensation,  splurging  about 
the  city  in  automobiles  under  white  flags  before  leaving  for 
Octolan,  where  it  expected  to  meet  General  Villa.  I  was 
much  annoyed  by  both  Americans  and  Mexicans,  at  the  time> 
by  questions  as  to  why  I  did  not  go.  My  answer  was,  that 
if  any  of  them  would  give  me  a  good  reason  why  I  should 
have  gone,  I  would  undertake  to  give  my  reasons  for  why 
I  did  not  go. 

General  Dieguez  has  since  returned,  and  is  very  much 
displeased  with  the  reception  accorded  to  General  Villa  when 
he,  Dieguez,  felt  obliged  to  evacuate  the  city.  Both  foreign- 
ers, and  natives,  are  well  convinced  now  that  I  did  not  make 
a  mistake  when  I  declined  to  accept  spectacular  honors  upon 
the  approach  of  General  Villa. 

Just  after  the  adjournment  of  the  citizens'  meeting  as 
described  in  my  letter  dated  December  15,  I  overheard  a  con- 
versation between  the  British  Vice  Consul  and  another,  and 
suspecting  something  of  what  was  on  the  tapis,  I  asked 
about  it.  I  was  answered  that  a  committee  of  foreign  con- 
suls were  to  be  appointed  by   Sefior  Castellanos  to  go  out 


68  AUTHOR  DOES  NOT  JOIN  OTHERS 

and  conduct  General  Villa  into  Guadalajara,  and  was  assured 
that  I  would  be  one  of  the  consuls  selected.  I  prohibited  the 
use  of  my  name  in  connection  with  such  a  scheme,  and  de- 
clared that  if  I  were  named  on  such  a  committee  I  would 
not  act — and  that  I  did  not  wish  the  embarrassment  to  be 
forced  upon  me  of  having  to  decline  the  honor  after  Seiior 
Castellanos  may  have  requested  me  to  so  act.  I  was  sur- 
prised at  the  eagerness  with  which  some  sought  to  be  named 
on  such  a  committee,  but  felt  that  I  should  not  say  more — or 
do  more — than  keep  my  own  skirts  clear  from  joining  such 
a  delegation.  I  felt  sure  than  the  idea  of  sending  out  a  corps 
of  foreign  representatives  to  conduct  General  Villa  into 
Guadalajara  had  not  originated  with  Sefior  Castellanos;  at 
the  same  time  I  could  also  understand  that  he  could  not  well 
have  refused  such  an  offer  after  it  had  been  tendered  by  the 
Consuls. 

When  the  Consuls  returned  to  Guadalajara  I  inquired 
of  them  about  their  interview  with  General  Villa,  etc.  They 
informed  me  that  when  they  had  introduced  themselves  to 
General  Villa,  and  made  their  mission  known  to  him,  the 
first  question  which  he  asked  them  was  why  some  of  the 
Mexicans  had  not  accompanied  them ;  and  that  after  they  had 
explained  to  him  that  they  had  been  appointed  by  the  Presi- 
dente  Municipal,  he  then  asked  them  why  the  American 
Consul  did  not  come. 


GENERAL  VILLA'S  ENTRANCE  INTO  GUADALAJARA   69 


CHAPTER   ELEVEN 

BEING   AN    ACCOUNT    OF    THE    FIRST   TERM    OF 
THE    VILLA    ADMINISTRATION 

December  19,  1914. 

The  entrance  of  General  Francisco  Villa  into  Guadalajara 
was  a  march  of  triumph.  He,  with  his  advance  guard,  pro- 
gressed from  the  railroad  station  to  the  palace  with  all  the 
glamour  of  a  conquering  hero — not  omitting  a  profusion  of 
brass  band  accompaniments. 

All  Guadalajara  was  out  to  welcome  him,  the  proletariat 
along  the  streets  and  the  upper  classes  from  their  balconies 
kept  up  a  continual  din  of  "Viva  Mexico!"  while  literally 
covering  General  Villa  and  staflf  with  confetti  and  vari- 
colored serpentines  all  along  their  way  of  march.  Every 
church  bell  in  the  city  (and  there  were  hundreds)  intoned 
welcomes — men,  women  and  children  of  all  classes  seemed 
beside  themselves  in  giving  expression  to  their  ecstacies  of 
joy.  Hardly  a  building  but  displayed  national  colors  in  pro- 
fusion— no  one  was  ever  more  universally,  unreservedly,  en- 
thusiastically and  demonstratively  welcomed  to  a  community 
than  was  General  Francisco  Villa  on  this,  his  first  entrance 
into  Guadalajara. 

Who  is  this  man  Villa?  It  would  be  superfluous  here 
to  undertake  to  tell. 

NOTE:  As  to  my  personal  opinion  of  him,  the  reader 
might  gather  an  idea  by  turning  to  my  letter  dated  April 
28th,  1915,  under  "An  Account  of  a  Few  of  the  Many  As- 
sassinations by  the  Villiastas,"  and  especially  to  that  part  of 
same  which  tells  of  "The  Case  of  Joaquin  Cuesta."  I  should 
not  wish  to  put  into  writing  my  opinion  of  such  an  uncon- 
scionable bandit  and  monstrous  assassin. 


70      VILLA  CALLS  MEETING  OF  MEXICAN  CIVILIANS 

December  19,  1914. 

Something  of  What  General  Francisco  Villa  Has  Done  Since 
Establishing  His  Government  Here. 

I  consider  General  Villa's  manner  of  dealing  with  "la 
gente  decente"  (the  better  classes)  too  interesting  to  not 
report  of  it  to  you. 

In  my  letter  dated  17th,  the  last  paragraph  read:  "The 
general  public  are  rejoiced  at  the  arrival  of  General  Villa," 
and  they  were,  not  that  they  loved  him  so  much,  but  because 
they  had  learned  to  distrust  and  despise  General  Dieguez 
more. 

Yesterday,  18th,  General  Villa  requested  a  meeting  of 
the  representative  citizens  be  held,  ostensibly  to  receive  sug- 
gestions, etc.,  as  to  their  opinions  on  how  the  newly  estab- 
lished Government  should  be  conducted.  I  did  not  attend 
the  meeting,  but  about  5  P.  M.  I  sauntered  out  towards  the 
Ayuntamiento  building,  where  it  was  to  have  begun  at  4 
P.  M.,  and  had  to  wait  only  a  few  minutes  on  the  outside 
until  the  audience  began  to  pour  into  the  street. 

It  was  evident  that  the  meeting  had  been  numerously 
attended  by  the  wealthier  citizens  and,  I  judged  from  the 
expressions  on  their  countenances,  that  they  were  very  much 
pleased  with  the  result.  I  learned  that  the  proceedings  at 
the  meeting  were,  substantially,  as  follows :  General  Villa 
addressed  the  gathering,  saying  that  he  had  been  charged  by 
his  enemies  as  having  been  a  robber  bandit,  etc.,  but  that 
there  never  was  a  word  of  truth  in  any  such — that  it  was  his 
aim  to  restore  peace  and  order  to  the  Republic — that  this 
once  established  it  was  his  desire  to  retire  to  private  life; 
but  he  warned  them  that  a  Government  maintained  for  the 
rich  classes  exclusively  was  forever  at  an  end — that  this 
was  as  sure  as  that  God  reigned  in  heaven — and  that  the  his- 
tory of  the  guillotine  in  Paris  would  be  as  nothing  compared 


GENERAL  MEDINA,  VILLISTA  GOVERNOR  71 

to  what  might  be  in  store  for  them  if  this  was  not  so — that 
he  needed  for  immediate  purposes  one  million  pesos,  and  that 
the  wealthy  citizens  must  produce  it  in  proportion  as  the 
Administration  de  Rentas  (Department  of  Taxes)  would  at 
once  make  known  to  them,  respectively.  Asked  if  he  re- 
ferred to  the  State  of  Jalisco,  or  only  to  the  city  of  Guadala- 
jara, he  replied  that  he  expected  this  first  million  pesos  solely 
from  the  citizens  of  Guadalajara.  Also,  when  asked  if  it  must 
all  come  from  the  Mexicans,  he  told  them  yes;  and  that  if 
any  foreigners  were  present,  they  had  come  either  of  their 
own  volition  or  by  invitation  from  mistaken  Mexicans. 

I  met  a  Mexican  friend  on  the  Plaza  de  Armas  last  night 
who  had  complained  to  me  of  having  had  to  pay,  by  similar 
assessment,  ten  thousand  pesos  to  the  Carrancista  Govern- 
ment a  short  time  before,  and  I  asked  him  how  much  of  the 
Villa  million  would  fall  to  his  lot.  He  answered:  "No  es 
mas  que  otro  chingada  intentada  para  echarnos  a  la  calle!" 
(It  is  only  one  more  effort  to  throw  us,  penniless,  on  the 
street),  omitting  the  vulgar  seasoning  from  the  translation. 

General  Medina  has  been  regularly  installed  Governor. 
I  have  not  met  him  yet,  though  I  called  on  General  Villa 
yesterday.     He  received  me  very  cordially. 

January  5th,  1915. 

I  have  had  occasions  to  meet  General  Medina  with  fre- 
quency since  my  letter  of  December  19.  Of  people  whom  I 
have  known  to  have  been  elevated  to  positions  disparagingly 
beyond  their  merits — and  I  had  seen  many  such  examples 
in  my  own  country  as  well  as  in  Mexico — this  General  Me- 
dina is  the  freak  of  them  all. 

Heavens! — the  change  from  the  old  Diaz  regime  to  the 
Carranza  hoodlums  was  bad  enough,  but  to  have  to  treat 
with  this  thing-^this  ignoramus — this  untutored  Indian — how 
can  it  be  done?   '  •     —  >»       i. 

General   Medina  had  ''•fi3frihVrly  •  been   a  mechanic.     But 


72  AUTHOR  TRIES  TO  TREAT  WITH  INDIAN 

when  speaking  of  tradesmen,  in  Mexican  parlance,  one  must 
not  think  to  compare  them  with  the  intelligent  American 
craftsman— oh,  no,  that  would  never  do. 

General  Medina  looks  the  Indian — General  Medina  acts 
Indian — General  Medina  is  an  Indian — and,  worst  of  all,  an 
untutored  Indian. 

But  I  will  say  for  General  Medina  that  I  believe  his  in- 
tentions are  good — that  if  he  knew  how,  he  would  do  bet- 
ter— but  he  doesn't  know  how  to  conduct  the  affairs  of  State. 
He  doesn't  fit.  He  could  not  rise  to  the  office,  and  to  bring 
the  office  to  his  level  would  be  like  unto  a  return  to  the  times 
of  the  North  American  aboriginees,  with  their  moccasin  and 
tepee  settings  and  tom-tom  accompaniments — figuratively 
speaking. 

January  10,  1915. 

I  have  not  been  able,  so  far,  to  get  General  Medina  to 
do  anything  towards  the  restoration  of  an  automobile,  and 
a  number  of  horses  and  mules,  taken  from  American  citizens. 
He  answers  my  letters  with  very  positive  expressions  of  a 
desire  to  furnish  protection  to  all  foreigners,  but  I  have  not 
been  able  to  get  him  to  issue  an  order  for  the  restoration  of 
anything,  as  General  Villa  did  on  similar  cases  while  here. 

I  reminded  Governor  Medina  of  General  Villa's  prompt- 
ness in  responding  to  my  requests,  but  not  anything,  it 
seems,  makes  an  impression  on  him.  I  could  furnish  you 
with  copies  of  a  lot  of  correspondence  between  this  Consulate 
and  Governor  Medina,  but  the  above  statement  gives  the  im- 
port of  them  all.  I  do  not  think  that  the  most  optimistically 
inclined  could  discern  anything  encouraging  in  the  present 
situation.  All  the  raised  hopes  on  the  part  of  the  public  at 
a  change  from  the  Carrancista  to  the  Villista  Government 
have  vanished.  The  civilian  public  is  like  as  unto  a  flock  of 
sheep — to  be  preyed  upon,  and  it  is  fast  coming  to  the  con- 
clusion that  the  particular  brand  of  the  wolf  does  not  alter 


DIEGUEZ  AND  ARMY  APPROACHING  GUADALAJARA   73 

their  fate.     Hence,  a  state  of  as  thorough   demoralization 
exists  here  as  could  be  imagined. 

January  16,  1915. 
Recent  Military  Movements   Hereabouts — Their  Effect   On 
the  Public;  and  Present  Status  of  Affairs. 

All  of  yesterday,  15th,  this  city  of  200,000  population, 
was  in  a  state  of  extreme  tension.  The  Carrancistas,  headed 
by  the  late  Governor,  General  Dieguez,  were  waging  an  ag- 
gressive fight  to  re-enter  Guadalajara — their  forces  had 
reached  near  enough  to  enable  all  here  to  hear  the  cannon- 
ading, some  miles  out.  They  were  being  held  back  by  the 
Villistas  under  General  Medina. 

The  Dieguistas  were  more  numerous  and  better  equipped 
than  the  Villistas,  but  had  not  succeeded  in  bringing  up  their 
main  forces  to  the  battle  front.  The  Villistas,  recognizing 
their  inferiority,  as  matters  stood — and  though  hoping  for 
re-enforcements — were  actively  preparing  to  evacuate,  or  be 
ready  to  leave  towards  Irapuato  last  night,  in  case  promised 
re-enforcements  did  not  arrive.  All  the  early  part  of  the 
afternoon  of  yesterday,  what  soldiers  had  been  left  in  the 
city  were  moving  to  the  railroad  station,  where  trains  were 
waiting  to  carry  them  to  La  Junata,  the  junction  of  the  Man- 
zanillo  and  Irapuato  branches,  some  five  miles  out,  where  all 
the  military  trains  of  the  Villistas  were  assembled. 

I  learned  that  all  Government  employees  had  gone  out 
to  La  Junta  in  the  morning,  as  it  had  been  said  that  General 
Dieguez  would  re-enter  Guadalajara  on  the  15th,  when  he 
would  proceed  to  hang,  in  the  Plaza  de  Armes,  every  man 
who  had  served  the  Villista  Government  in  any  capacity,  as 
well  as  many  others  who  had  openly  manifested  their  sympa- 
thies for  said  faction — not  sparing  any,  except  some  of  the 
common  soldiers.  As  a  result  of  this,  yesterday's  train  for 
Mexico  City  was  packed  by  private  citizens — those  of  the 


74  UNCERTAINTY  AS  TO  RESULT  OF  PENDING  BATTLE 

better  class — beyond  standing  room,  the  overflow  climbing 
on  the  roofs  of  the  cars.  An  American  friend  told  me  that 
there  must  have  been  at  least  150  persons  riding  on  top  of 
the  cars  when  the  train  went  out.  At  3  :30  in  the  afternoon, 
seeing  what  I  took  to  be  the  last  contingent  of  the  Villa  sol- 
diers marching  to  the  station,  I  paid  close  attention.  There 
were  about  300  in  line,  but  not  over  one-third  carried  arms. 
Those  who  had  arms  did  not  have  any  ammunition  in  sight, 
a  thing  which  the  Mexican  soldier  seems  very  fond  of  dis- 
playing— when  he  has  it.  They  all  appeared  sad,  rather  cast 
down  in  spirit. 

At  4  o'clock  I  sent  the  Consulate  messenger,  a  Mexican 
employee,  to  the  station  to  ascertain  the  import  of  the  move- 
ments that  were  going  on,  as  I  felt  that  the  body  of  troops 
just  mentined  was  not  going  out  to  fight.  In  the  meantime, 
I  made  an  observation  reconnoiter  to  the  Palace,  the  Arch- 
bishopric (which  latter  had  been  converted  into  a  military 
barracks)  and  to  Carmen  barracks.  All  these  places  were 
deserted,  except  for  the  presence  of  an  occasional  looker-on. 
I  accosted  a  young  Mexican  who  was  passing  on  a  bicycle, 
and  he  told  me  that  he  had  just  finished  a  round  of  all  the 
military  barracks  of  the  city  and  that  he  had  found  them  all 
abandoned. 

The  Consulate  messenger  returned  from  his  mission  soon 
after  I  had  arrived  at  the  Consulate  and  told  me  that  he  had 
overheard  a  Captain  say  that  if  re-enforcements  should  not 
reach  Guadalajara  before  the  following  morning,  the  Villistas 
would  be  entrained  for  Irapuato.  I  then  made  another  recon- 
noiter to  ascertain  the  feeling  among  the  citizenry.  The 
streets  were  all  well  populated  and  extreme  apprehension  was 
apparent  in  the  countenances  of  everybody. 

I  had  only  just  returned  to  the  Consulate  after  my 
second  observation  tour,  when  I  saw  coming  from  toward 
the  railroad  station  the  same  body  of  troops  which  I  had 


BATTLE  RAGING  NEAR  GUADALAJARA  75 

seen  going  out  some  two  hours  before.  When  they  passed 
this  time  they  seemed  to  be  in  great  spirits.  I  sent  the  mes- 
senger out  to  learn  the  why  of  this  apparent  change.  He 
soon  returned  and  told  me  that  General  Medina  had  received 
a  telegram  from  General  Villa  urging  him  to  hold  Guadala- 
jara at  any  cost — that  ample  re-enforcements  were  on  the 
way  and  would  arrive  during  the  night — he  himself  follow- 
ing these  re-enforcements  with  an  army  of  ten  thousand. 
This  was  about  5  P.M. 

During  these  several  days  of  tension  there  has  been 
music  by  some  of  the  military  bands  in  the  Plaza  de  Armes 
every  night  from  7  to  9.  I  hardly  expected  there  would  be 
music  on  the  plaza  last  night,  but  there  was.  I  went  down 
to  the  plaza.  The  Palace  was  lighted  and  the  regular  con- 
tingent of  guards  were  on  duty  at  all  the  entrances  to  the 
building.  At  7:30  General  Medina,  accompanied  by  his  staff, 
appeared  on  the  central  balcony  of  the  Palace  and,  as  best 
he  could  (he  is  an  uneducated  man),  addressed  the  large  con- 
course of  people,  assuring  them  that  there  was  no  cause  for 
alarm — that  before  the  bandit  (referring  to  General  Dieguez) 
who  was  attempting  to  return  and  persecute  them  reached 
the  city,  he  would  have  to  do  it  over  his  (General  Medina's) 
dead  body,  etc.,  etc.  This  all  sounded  good  to  his  hearers. 
He  was  heartily  cheered.  The  band  in  the  plaza  played  the 
"Diana"  (the  same  which  I  had  before  heard  in  the  bull-ring 
when  a  matador  had  acquitted  himself  to  the  approval  of 
the  audience)  and  afterward  the  air  of  the  Mexican  National 
Hymn,  when  all  hats  went  off. 

It  was  a  little  cool  on  the  plaza  that  evening,  and  on 
finding  myself  sneezing  soon  after  taking  off  my  own  hat,  I 
made  for  my  hotel  without  delay.  I  was  afterwards  told  that 
no  further  demonstrations  took  place.  Feelings  of  greater 
confidence  are  manifested  everywhere  this  morning,  16th. 

It  is  reported   that  General  Angeles   arrived    during   the 


76  PROGRESS  OF  BATTLE  PARTIALLY  SEEN  AND  HEAD 

night  with  ample  artillery,  and  that  at  3  A.  M.  General  Villa 
with  an  army  of  10,000  troops  passed  Penjamo,  about  150 
miles  distant.  He  should,  therefore — if  reports  are  correct — 
reach  Guadalajara  or  La  Junta  by  noon.  But  it  is  now 
12  M.,  and  I  have  not  heard  of  the  arrival  of  General  Villa, 
nor  do  I  know  if  there  was  any  truth  in  the  report  that  Gen- 
eral Angeles  had  arrived  last  night.  In  his  speech  last  night, 
though  General  Medina  did  not  refer  to  expected  re-enforce- 
ments, or  to  any  move  made  that  afternoon  toward  evacu- 
ating the  city,  some  re-enforcements  must  have  arrived  from 
somewhere — and  there  could  be  no  doubts  about  arrange- 
ments having  been  made  for  evacuating  Guadalajara,  whether 
by  order  of  General  Medina  or  not. 

January  19,  1915. 
Retaking  of  Guadalajara  by  General  Dieguez  and  His  Re- 
cntrance  Into  the  City. 

I  have  been  unable  to  get  any  mail  out,  or  telegraph,  for 
some  days.  From  appearances,  all  mail  received  lately  has 
been  tampered  with — there  can  be  no  doubt  about  it.  There- 
fore, I  shall  not  entrust  anything  to  these  mails  until  greater 
security  is  promised ;  but  will  continue  chronicling  happen- 
ings and  forward  as  soon  as  it  may  be  done  with  safety,  by 
private  means  as  far  as  the  border,  at  least. 

During  Saturday,  16th,  and  Sunday,  17th,  cotnparative 
quiet  reigned,  though  there  were  numerous  skirmishes  be- 
tween the  advanced  columns  of  the  contending  forces;  but 
at  the  break  of  day,  this  Monday  morning,  18th,  the  Dieguis- 
tas  had  approached  to  within  five  miles  of  Guadalajara,  and 
fighting  has  been  in  progress  all  along  the  lines  up  to  the 
present  writing,  12  M.  The  battle  can  be  observed  through 
field  glasses  from  the  roof  of  the  Fenix  Hotel —  the  tallest 
building  in  the  city — and  from  the  Country  Clubhouse,  lo- 
cated on  an  elevation  in  West  End  Colony.     It  is  now  the 


DIEGUESTAS  REACH  SUBURBS  OF  CITY  11 

general  belief  that  the  Villistas  will  win;  but  this  may  be 
only  the  offspring  of  the  wish.  It  is  reported  that  a  large 
body  of  the  Villistas  have  gotten  around  to  the  rear  of  the 
Carrancistas  to  prevent  the  escape  of  the  latter  towards  Say- 
ula,  their  present  base.  This  also  may  be  only  rumor — the 
atmosphere  is  surcharged  with  rumors  of  all  kinds. 

The  Villistas,  while  being  well  supplied  with  artillery 
and  men,  are  said  to  be  short  of  ammunition  for  small  arms. 
The  Carrancistas  are  reported  as  well  supplied  with  arms  and 
ammunition  of  all  kinds,  and  to  be  14,000  strong.  The  Vil- 
listas claim  to  have  been  re-enforced  to  about  an  equal  num- 
ber. Three  P.  M.  No  positive  information,  but  from  most 
reliable  accounts  the  Carrancistas  are  gaining.  Four  P.M. 
About  100  uniformed  but  unarmed  soldiers,  with  their  quota 
of  officers,  are  just  passing  from  the  station  towards  the  Pal- 
ace. They  look  very  much  dispirited.  I  was  told  that  they 
were  two  artillery  corps,  from  whom  the  Carrancistas  had 
captured  four  cannon  and  six  rapid-fire  guns,  and  that  their 
present  mission  was  to  get  more  artillery  and  return  to  the 
front.  Cannonading  can  now  be  heard  almost  continually 
from  all  parts  of  the  city.  Evidently,  the  Carrancistas  are 
getting  near  Guadalajara. 

5  P.  M. — Holdups  are  being  reported  from  all  parts  of 
the  city.  I  have  just  succeeded,  through  the  Commandante 
of  the  Plaza,  in  ridding  the  house  of  A.  R.  Downs  of  bandits. 
This  is  the  second  time  within  the  past  ten  days  that  I  have 
had  to  do  this  for  the  Downs  home.  5  :30  P.  M. — Hearing  a 
commotion  on  the  street,  I  stepped  to  the  balcony  of  the  Con- 
sulate and  find  everybody — citizens  and  soldiers — running 
from  the  station  toward  the  center  of  the  city.  An  American 
friend  came  into  the  Consulate  while  I  was  writing  the  above 
paragraph,  with  cravat  and  collar  in  hand.  He  related  that 
he  had  just  seated  himself  in  a  barber's  chair  for  a  shave, 
when  a  yell,  "The  Carrancistas  are  coming,"  was  heard,  and 


78       OBSERVING  BATTLE  FROM  TOP  OF  BUILDINGS 

everything  went  wild — "bughouse" — as  he  expressed  it — and 
he  had  to  come  away  without  a  shave.  The  merchants  are 
barricading  their  doors  and  windows.  Everybody  is  racing 
to  get  within  doors.  5  :20  P.  M. — I  closed  the  Consulate  and 
went  to  my  hotel,  from  the  roof  of  which  could  be  observed 
nearby  movements.  The  before-mentioned  alarm  was  not 
false — the  Villa  soldiers  at  San  Pedro,  three  miles  out,  had 
been  driven  in  by  the  Carrancista  Cavalry. 

When  I  reached  the  roof  of  the  hotel,  a  large  body  of 
cavalry  could  be  seen  coming  from  toward  San  Pedro,  via 
Agua  Azul,  a  mile  out.  Also  smoke  could  be  seen  and  can- 
nonading heard  in  the  direction  of  the  Sierras  near  La  Junta 
junction.  Evidently  the  railroad  line  from  there  towards 
Mexico  City  is  in  the  hands  of  the  Carrancistas.  5:30  P.  M., 
the  Carrancistas  are  closing  in  on  the  Villistas — the  advance 
column  of  cavalry  that  was  approaching  from  the  direction 
of  San  Pedro,  is  now  hidden  from  view  by  the  groves  about 
Agua  Azul — yet  a  continuous  rattle  of  musketry  and  rapid- 
fire  guns  can  be  heard  from  that  direction. 

Soldiers  in  the  streets  of  Guadalajara  are  in  a  panic — run- 
ning in  every  direction — and  apparently  to  try  to  keep  up 
their  spirits,  are  yelling  "Viva  Villa!"  But  it  is  clearly  to 
be  seen  that  the  Villistas  have  lost.  5  :50  P.  M. — Two  long 
trains,  pulling  out  from  La  Junta,  in  the  direction  of  Ameca, 
the  only  avenue  of  escape  now  left  by  rail,  can  be  seen  dis- 
tinctly, with  the  appearance  of  heavy  fusilladings  directed 
at  the  retreating  trains  from  artillery  planted  along  the  foot- 
hills beyond.  6  P.  M. — Firing  can  be  heard  from,  in  and 
about  the  railroad  station,  six  blocks  from  the  Palace.  6:10 
P.  M. — Everybody  retires  from  the  roof  of  the  hotel,  and  by 
the  time  they  reached  the  lower  floors,  firing  could  be  heard 
in  the  nearby  streets;  first  only  occasional  shots,  soon  to  be 
succeeded  by  volleys  from  every  direction.  6:20  P.M. — Col- 
umns of  Carrancista  cavalry  and  infantry  are  seen  filling  the 


BATTLE  RAGES  IN  CITY— DIEGUEZ  WINS  79 

streets,  coming,  apparently,  from  everywhere.  6:30  P.  M. — A 
general  fusillade  of  musketry  and  rapid-fire  arms  apparently 
scattered  all  over  the  city — can  be  heard.  This  was  kept  up 
while  the  soldiery  were  rushing  everywhere — until  about 
8:30  P.M.  Our  only  means  of  distinguishing  the  Carran- 
cistas  from  the  Villistas  and  vice  versa,  is  by  their  battle 
cries — one,  "Viva  Villa!"  the  other,  "Viva  Carranza!"  One 
would  have  expected  that  the  streets  would  have  been  strewn 
with  the  dead,  of  either  side.  Shortly  after  8 :30  P.  M.,  the 
firing  having  ceased  except  for  occasional  outbreaks  here  and 
there,  I  went  to  supper.  The  dining  room  of  the  hotel  is  on 
the  ground  floor  and  separated  from  the  rotunda  in  front  by 
glass  screens,  so  that  one  may,  while  eating,  observe  the 
movements  on  the  street  immediately  outside.  I  had  scarcely 
taken  a  seat,  when  General  Murgia  and  staff  came  in  and 
ordered  supper.  Observing  that  an  American-looking  fellow 
was  with  them,  I  motioned  to  him  to  come  to  my  table.  He 
told  me  that  the  battle  had  been  practically  decided  ever 
since  3  o'clock  that  afternoon.  While  he  was  relating  to  me 
the  particulars  of  the  battle,  two  rifle  shots  were  heard  from 
the  street  immediately  in  front  of  the  hotel.  At  this,  the 
American  sprang  up  and  went  to  the  door.  Returning  di- 
rectly he  told  me  that  General  Murgia's  guards  had  shot  a 
Villa  soldier.  After  supper,  I  went  out  to  see,  and  sure 
enough  there  was  a  dead  soldier  lying  on  the  pavement,  al- 
ready stripped  of  hat,  shoes,  coat  and  pantaloons. 

I  soon  retired  for  the  night.  Desultory  firing  could  be 
heard  from  time  to  time  from  different  parts  of  the  city  up 
to  the  time  I  went  to  sleep,  which  was  at  11 :30.  The  death 
of  the  soldier  in  front  of  the  hotel  occurred  thus :  As  he  was 
passing  in  front  of  the  hotel,  he  was  hailed  by  General  Mur- 
gia's  guards  with,  "Quien  vive?"  The  soldier  answered, 
"General  Villa!" — pum!  pum!  and  he  was  dead. 


80        GENERAL  DIEGUEZ  RE-ENTERS  GUADALAJARA 

January  20,  1915. 

The  city  is  fairly  quiet.  Business  seems  suspended  for 
the  present — all  mercantile  houses  are  yet  closed.  Groups 
of  all  classes  are  visiting  different  sections  of  the  city  today 
to  view  the  dead  in  the  streets,  which,  while  not  so  numer- 
ous as  might  have  been  expected,  judging  from  the  amount 
of  shooting  heard  yesterday  afternoon  and  evening,  is  quite 
enough — some  150 — all  yet  lying  where  they  were  killed, 
and  stripped  of  everything  not  too  badly  damaged  for  use. 
All  during  the  morning  hours  today  column  after  column  of 
troops — principally  cavalry — were  to  be  seen  moving  along 
the  streets  leading  to  the  various  barracks  of  the  city.  Gen- 
eral Dieguez,  with  his  rear  forces,  is  expected  to  enter  this 
afternoon.  3 :30  P.  M. — The  corpse  of  the  soldier  who  was 
killed  in  front  of  the  Fenix  Hotel  last  evening,  has  just  been 
removed.  General  Dieguez  entered  the  city  about  5  P.  M., 
going  immediately  to  the  Palace,  from  the  center  balcony  of 
which  he  addressed  the  people,  saying,  in  substance,  that  the 
wealthy  of  this  community  were  to  be  "diezmado"  (meaning 
decimated — tithed  out  of  existence,  or  reduced  to  the  level 
of  the  already  poor) — that  they  were  the  real  enemies  and 
traitors  of  the  country,  etc.,  etc.,  and  that  the  Church  was  to 
be  shorn  of  all  its  former  prestige  and  wealth — that  it  had 
already  been  used  too  long,  in  conjunction  with  the  oppres- 
sions of  the  wealthy  classes,  to  keep  the  poor  native  in  a 
state  of  helpless  ignorance,  and  to  cheat  him  out  of  his  God- 
given  rights. 

I  did  not  hear  the  speech  myself,  but  was  told  that  this 
was  the  substance  of  it,  by  several  intelligent  Mexicans — and 
they  expressed  great  alarm  for  what  might  be  in  store  for 
the  "gente  decente"  (middle  and  upper  classes)  of  the  com- 
munity. 


DIEGUEZ'  SECOND  TERM  AT  GUADALAJARA  81 


CHAPTER  TWELVE 

THE   CARRANCISTA   REIGN   OF   TERROR   DURING 
DIEGUEZ'S    SECOND    ADMINISTRATION 

NOTE :  I  am  transposing  this  chapter's  letters  as  to 
dates,  because  they  treat  of  the  times,  and  are  more  related 
to,  what  is  immediately  in  hand: 

February  2d,  1915. 

More  About  the  Recent  Behavior  of  the  Foreign  Consular 

Corps. 

I  have  recently  been  the  recipient  of  many  congratula- 
tions, both  from  Mexicans  and  Americans,  on  account  of  my 
conduct  during  the  change  from  the  Carrancista  to  the  Vil- 
lista  Government  here,  when  several  Consular  representa- 
tives offered  their  services  to  the  Citizens*  Committee  to  con- 
duct General  Villa  into  the  city. 

General  Dieguez  is  now  back  and  full  of  ire  at  the  man- 
ner of  General  Villa's  reception.  He  is  wrathy  at  the  prefer- 
ences which  were  shown  for  Villa  and  is  putting  into  effect 
the  threats  he  made  against  all  who  manifested  same. 

If  he  had  stopped  at  the  persecution  of  his  active  ene- 
mies, he  might  not  have  been  so  censurable — but  he  went 
farther — he  went  too  far. 

He  is  visiting  vengeance  upon  the  heads  of  every  one 
who  had  worked  in  any  capacity  under  the  Villistas.  All  em- 
ployees who  had  served  in  any  of  the  Government  depart- 
ments are  marked  for  execution.  Every  one  who  had  served 
the  municipality  of  Guadalajara  are  blacklisted  unto  death. 
Those  who  had  served  in  the  federal  telegraph  offices  are  to 
be  persecuted  to  their  graves.     Railroad  employees  who  had 


82  DIEUEZ  INAUGURATES  A  REIGN  OF  TERROR 

aided  in  running  trains  for  the  public  are  shot  wherever 
found.  And  all  suspected  private  citizens,  whether  in  busi- 
ness of  any  kind,  or  in  retirement,  are  to  be  assassinated. 
The  majority  of  those  so  banned  had  served,  in  their  respec- 
tive capacities,  under  all  preceding  Governments  before  that 
of  Villa;  and  of  course  as  these  services  were,  and  had  been, 
their  several  modes  of  gaining  livelihoods,  they  kept  on  at 
their  work  after  the  Villistas  came,  not  dreaming  that  they 
were  thereby  digging  their  own  graves!  To  give  an  account 
of  all  the  hundreds — perhaps  thousands — of  executions  and 
assassinations  that  are  the  order  of  the  day — and  night — 
would  be  to  draw  too  harrowing  a  picture.  I  will,  therefore, 
confine  myself  in  further  references  to  what  was  commonly 
known  as  "The  Dieguez  Reign  of  Terror,"  to  only  mention 
enough  cases  to  sufficiently  portray  the  state  of  affairs  as 
they  really  existed. 

February  19th,  1915. 
A  Few  Well  Authenticated  Cases  of  Assassinations  of  En- 
tirely Innocent  People  During  the  Dieguez 
Reign  of  Terror  Here. 

From  the  time  of  the  retaking  of  Guadalajara  by  Gen- 
eral Dieguez,  on  the  18th  of  January,  to  that  of  his  evacua- 
tion, on  the  12th  of  February,  not  to  mention  the  summary 
executions  of  a  great  number  of  so-called  political  suspects, 
at  least  murdered  under  such  pretexts  and  without  the  sem> 
blance  of  trials,  there  were  many  innocent  people  deliberately 
assassinated  by  the  soldiery  on  most  every  street  of  this  city, 
which  the  following  very  few,  but  well  authenticated  cases, 
will  exemplify : 

The  Case  of  a  Young  Lover. — American  citizen,  S.  S. 
Gates,  whom  I  have  known  as  a  man  of  truth  and  veracity, 
says :     '*On  the  night  of   February  6th,  between  9  and    10 


DIEGUEZ  REIGN  OF  TERROR  CONTINUES  83 

o'clock,  I  saw  from  my  window  and  heard  the  following:  A 
young  Mexican  gentleman,  aged  about  18  years,  was  stand- 
ing on  the  pavement  of  Gardin  Botanica  street,  engaged  in 
talking  to  his  sweetheart  through  the  grated  window  of  her 
house — a  nightly  performance  which  I  had  observed  had 
been  going  on  for  some  time  before — when  four  soldiers,  who 
were  standing  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street  called  to  him. 
The  young  man  went  over  to  them  at  once.  They  asked  him 
the  time  of  the  night.  He  answered  them  that  he  did  not 
have  a  watch.  At  this  juncture  a  Captain  came  up  and  asked 
what  was  going  on.  I  could  not  hear  what  the  soldiers  an- 
swered, but  did  hear  distinctly  the  Captain  say,  'Take  him 
in  and  shoot  him!'  The  young  lover  fell  to  his  knees  and 
begged  for  his  life,  saying,  among  other  things,  T  am  only  a 
clerk  in  a  store,  and  I  have  never  had  anything  to  do  with 
politics.  I  come  every  night  from  9  to  10  to  see  my  sweet- 
heart, who  lives  there  (pointing  to  the  house),  which  I  had 
been  doing  long  before  you  people  came  to  Guadalajara,'  etc. 
The  Captain  grasped  him  by  the  collar  of  his  coat;  the  sol- 
diers prodded  him  with  their  bayonets,  and  he  was  thus  lit- 
erally forced  and  dragged  into  a  nearby  cuartel  (barracks) 
and  in  a  few  moments  I  heard  the  discharge  of  a  volley  of 
carbines  and  felt  sure  that  the  young  lover  had  been  exe- 
cuted. He  has  never  been  seen  or  heard  of  since.  The  next 
morning  I  went  to  where  this  street  scene  was  enacted  the 
night  before,  and  could  trace  the  route  that  the  young  fellow 
had  been  dragged  over,  all  the  way  to  the  entrance  of  the 
cuartel,  by  blood-stains  left  along  the  way."  I  learned  from 
investigations  afterwards  made  that  what  the  young  fellow 
had  told  the  Captain  was  true,  and  besides,  that  he  was  a 
semi-invalid. 

The  Case  of  Two  Mexican  Laborers. — A  Mr.  Thornton, 
manager  of  the  Guadalajara  Packing  House — an  American 
citizen,  whom  I  personally  know  to  be  thoroughly  reliable — 


84      CONTINUATION  OF  DIEGUEZ  REIGN  OF  TERROR 

said:  "At  a  little  after  1  P.  M.,  on  the  31st  of  January,  after 
some  Carrancista  soldiers  had  finished  demolishing  a  house 
not  far  from  the  Packery,  where  some  Villistas  were  sup- 
posed to  be,  killing  all  within  (22  men,  women  and  children), 
two  of  my  laborers  started  home  for  their  dinners,  going 
across  the  commons.  They  had  progressed  only  a  short  dis- 
tance from  the  packing  house,  when  the  Carrancista  soldiers 
fired  on  them,  killing  one  outright  and  wounding  the  other 
so  that  he  fell  to  the  ground.  After  waiting  some  time,  a 
number  of  employees  ventured  out  in  a  body  to  where  the 
victims  were.  Seeing  them,  an  officer  and  some  soldiers  also 
came  to  the  spot.  The  laborers  explained  to  the  soldiers  that 
the  two  men  in  question  had  long  been  regular  employees  of 
the  packing  house  and  had  never  been  known  to  take  part 
in  political  affairs,  and  begged  that  they  might  remove  the 
wounded  man  to  the  packery,  where  they  would  call  a  phy- 
sician to  dress  his  wounds.  The  officer  gave  them  no  an- 
swer, but  turning  to  his  soldiers  said,  'Finish  him  with  a 
"tiro  de  gracia,"  whereupon  one  of  the  soldiers  placed  the 
muzzle  of  a  mauser  against  the  forehead  of  the  wounded  la- 
borer and  blew  his  brains  out." 

The  Case  of  a  Laborer  on  Hidalgo  Street. — A  Mexican, 
who  was  educated  in  the  United  States,  entirely  responsible 
and  occupying  an  important  position  (but  whose  name  I  do 
not  give  for  obvious  reasons)  relates:  "On  the  20th  of  Jan- 
uary, on  Hidalgo  street,  one  of  the  principal  streets  of  Guad- 
alajara, while  a  laboring  man  was  crossing  said  street  with 
some  wood  on  his  shoulder  he  was  accosted  by  a  Carrancista 
soldier  who  accused  him  of  being  a  Villista.  The  laborer  an- 
swered that  he  was  not — that  he  was  a  working  man  and 
was  trying  to  make  a  living  for  his  family,  who  lived  in  a 
little  house  just  around  the  corner.  The  soldier  replied : 
'You  look  like  a  Villista  anyhow,'  and  with  that  raised  his 
carbine  and  shot  the  man  to  death.    I  heard  and  saw  it  all." 


REIGN  OF  TERROR  CONTINUED  85 

1  could  continue  to  relate  similar  cases  ad  infinitum — ad 
nausium — but  I  have  not  had  the  time  to  procure  such  wit- 
nesses to  others,  especially  now,  while  all  Mexicans  refuse  to 
give  testimony,  even  secretly  or  confidentially.  Many  inno- 
cent people  were  killed  during  actual  fighting,  during  battles 
in  this  city,  both  intentionally  and  accidentally,  but  the  cases 
referred  to  in  this  were  not  of  such  nature. 

I  afterwards  learned  that  the  assassination  of  the  young 
lover  mentioned  above  was  brought  about  because  his  sweet- 
heart had  persistently  scorned  the  attentions  paid  her  by  the 
officer  in  question,  and  that  the  officer  in  this  manner  avenged 
his  wounded  pride  on  both  the  lovers.  Was  anything  ever 
done  about  it?  Oh,  no;  nothing  at  all.  Neither  of  the  fam- 
ilies of  the  lovers  would  have  dared  to  make  a  complaint,  nor 
would  anyone  else.  Had  any  such  attempt  been  made  by  a 
Mexican — it  would  not  have  mattered  what  his  standing — 
such  accuser  would  have  been  turned  over  to  a  firing  platoon, 
marched  to  the  cemetery  and  shot  at  the  brink  of  some  one 
of  the  many  yawning  holes  in  the  ground  that  had  already 
been  prepared  for  bold  meddlers  in  the  affairs  of  these  noble 
military  emancipators  of  the  poor  Mexican  people! — their 
palladins  of  liberty  and  justice!! 


86       REIGN  OF  TERROR  BECOMES  MORE  ALARMING 

CHAPTER  THIRTEEN 

THE    DIEGUEZ    REIGN    OF    TERROR— CONTINUED 

February  2d,  1915. 
The  Prevailing  Terrible  State  of  Affairs  Causes  the  Consular 
Corps  to  Intercede. 

I  have  to  say,  in  further  pursuance  of  the  subject  of 
former  letters,  that  surface  appearances  throughout  Wednes- 
day, 20th,  indicated  comparative  quiet;  yet  I  was  informed 
that  several  executions  had  taken  place.  It  is  difficult  to  as- 
certain the  number,  for  the  corpses  were  to  be  found  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  city  and  some  of  the  victims  are  said  to 
have  been  marched  first  to  the  cemetery  for  execution. 

I  am  very  reliably  informed  that  on  the  20th  there  was 
a  general  sacking  of  the  suburban  town  of  San  Pedro,  three 
miles  out,  reached  by  electric  car  line,  and  that  sixteen  of 
that  population  of  about  five  thousand  were  killed,  including 
the  hanging  of  one  priest.  The  sacking  and  killing  was  done 
by  Carranza  soldiers. 

I  was  awake  on  the  night  of  the  20th-21st,  at  2  A.  M.,  for 
half  an  hour,  and  I  counted  as  many  as  25  rifle  shots  from 
different  parts  of  the  city  during  the  time.  On  the  morning 
of  the  21st,  I  heard  of  as  many  as  a  half  dozen  corpses  found 
on  the  streets,  three  in  the  Alameda  (park)  and  three  others 
hanging  near  the  Escuela  de  Artes  (School  of  Arts),  in  the 
western  part  of  the  city — some  respectably  dressed,  and  some 
belonging  to  the  peon  elment. 

Governor  Dieguez  had  issued  a  number  of  very  arbitrary 
edicts — one  demanding  the  immediate  delivery  of  all  fire- 
arms to  the  Commandante  Militar,  with  the  penalty  of  death 
to  any  one  found  in  the  possession  of  firearms  of  any  kind 


CONDITIONS  CAUSE  CONSULAR  CORPS  TO  ACT        87 

ten  days  after  date  of  said  edict.  If  a  reign  of  terror  is  not 
in  existence  here,  I  do  not  know  what  the  term  means.  The 
people  of  all  nationalities  are  completely  terrorized. 

For  instanc,  a  body  of  soldiers  visited  the  residence  of 
Carlos  Corrothers,  present  Consulate  Clerk,  and  took  a  mule 
belonging  to  him.  An  American  flag  was  floating  above  the 
house.  Servants  told  the  soldiers  that  the  place,  and  every- 
thing on  it,  belonged  to  an  American  citizen,  at  present  an 
employee  of  the  American  Consulate.  The  soldiers  answered 
that  even  if  it  were  the  house  of  God  Almighty,  they  would 
not  respect  it. 

On  Thursday,  21st,  at  noon,  I  sent  invitations  to  mem- 
bers of  the  Foreign  Consular  Corps  to  meet  with  me  at  the 
American  Consulate  at  4  P.  M.  My  purpose  was  to  ask  them 
to  go  with  me  in  a  body  to  wait  on  General  Dieguez,  and  tell 
him  of  the  rumors  we  had  heard,  as  well  as  the  acts  of  sav- 
agery which  were  in  evidence  all  about  us  and  inform  him 
of  our  sincere  wish  that  his  conduct  toward  the  public  might 
be  so  altered  as  to  enable  us  to  make  favorable  reports  to 
our  Governments  from  thence  on.  We  accordingly  addressed 
a  joint  note  to  General  Dieguez,  asking  him  to  appoint  a  time 
when  we  could  make  him  a  visit  of  courtesy.  General  Die- 
guez asked  us  to  call  at  11  A.M.,  Saturday,  23d.  The  Con- 
sular Corps  having  arrived  at  the  Palace  according  to  the 
appointment,  the  usual  amenities  having  been  indulged  in, 
the  conversation  presently  drifted  to  the  then  recent  catastro- 
phe wherein  seven  hundred  women  and  children  had  been 
killed  and  three  hundred  wounded  in  a  railroad  accident 
near  Zapotlan,  I  took  advantage  of  the  opportunity  to  have 
my  say  to  General  Dieguez,  as  follows : 

"I  have  already  given  my  mite  for  the  relief  of  these  un- 
fortunate people,  and  should  further  aid  be  needed,  we  as- 
sure your  Excellency  that  the  foreign  colonies  here  would 
gladly  help  yet  more  in  this  humanitarian  work,  for  we  can- 


88       CONSULAR  CORPS  INTERCEDES  WITH  DIEGUEZ 

not  conceive  that  such  an  act  would  be  construed  as  aiding 
armed  forces,  even  though  these  victims  may  have  happened 
to  be  the  wives  and  children  of  those  engaged  in  armed  con- 
flict." 

"One  of  our  own  Generals  is  quoted  as  having  said,  *War 
is  heir — and  it  is.  We  qnly  have  to  read  the  news  from 
across  the  waters  now  to  realize  how  people  of  an  admittedly 
most  advanced  and  cultivated  nation  may  overnight,  as  it 
were,  be  converted  into  so  many  savages.  Though  we  do 
not  hold  that  inhumanities  practiced  by  any  nation  is  an 
excuse  for  the  display  of  similar  traits  in  another,  we  make 
this  reference  because  we  do  not  wish  your  Excellency  to 
feel  that  we  are  singling  out  Mexico,  or  pointing  the  finger 
of  accusation  at  you  alone,  when  we  say  to  you  that  the  for- 
eign and  Mexican  population  of  this  community  stand  not 
only  intimidated,  but  appalled  at  the  acts  of  yourself  and  sub- 
ordinates that  are  in  evidenc  about  us,  and  from  rumors  that 
have  reached  us  promise  to  become  more  startling.  We  as- 
sure you,  Sir,  that  whether  you  agree  with  us  or  not  as  to 
whether  such  evidence  as  we  have  seen  on  every  hand  here- 
abouts is  sufficint  to  justify  us  in  declaring  that  a  reign  of 
terror  actually  exists  here,  that  both  the  native  and  foreign 
population  are  alike  terrorized  at  being  compelled  to  be  wit- 
nesses of  such  nightly  and  daily — I  might  say  hourly — do- 
ings. 

"Non-combatant  civilians  are  being  shot  down  in  the 
street,  or  marched  to  the  Penitentiary,  to  one  of  the  munici- 
pal barracks  or  to  the  cemetery  and  executed  without  even 
the  pretense  of  trials!  We  assure  your  Excellency  that  in 
speaking  to  you  in  this  manner  we  do  it  not  only  in  the  in- 
terest of  these  people,  but  also  for  the  sake  of  your  own  repu- 
tation and  that  of  the  revolutionary  party  which  you  repre- 
sent. The  time  has  passed  in  the  history  of  the  world  when 
any  man  or  party  may  hope  to  achieve  success  through  any 


AUTHOR'S  DISCOURSE  BEFORE  GENERAL  DIEGUEZ    89 

such  practices.  Moreover,  from  the  utterances  of  President 
Wilson  since  the  delivery  of  his  inaugural  address  to  the 
present  time,  no  party  in  Mexico,  or  of  any  other  country 
may  hope  for  friendly  recognition  from  the  Washington 
Government  by  gaining  power  over  their  fellows  by  any 
such  proceedings;  and  we  think  your  Excellency  will  agree 
that  the  late  so-called  Huerta  regime  furnished  an  object 
lesson  showing  the  utter  futility  of  trying  to  set  up  a  Gov- 
ernment in  Mexico  by  means  which  would  cause  the  Wash- 
ington Government  to  decline  to  recognize  it. 

"Religious  persecutions  have  never,  in  all  the  world's 
history,  gained  any  advantage  to  those  responsible  for  them; 
and  the  arbitrary  persecutions  of  individuals,  whether  in  the 
spirit  of  revenge  or  merely  to  eliimnate  them  as  factors  in 
the  body  politic  has  proved  quite  as  barren  of  favorable  re- 
sults to  the  perpetrators  thereof.  We  assure  your  Excellency 
that  it  is  the  wish  of  the  members  of  the  Foreign  Consular 
Corps  here  that  you  so  change  your  conduct  toward  the  pub- 
lic from  now  henceforward,  that  they  may  be  enabled  to 
make  favorable  reports  to  their  respective  Governments  of 
your  administration,  instead  of  condemnatory,  which  they 
have  found  themselves  compelled  to  do  in  the  past." 

I  remained  with  Governor  Dieguez  a  few  moments  after 
the  other  Consular  representatives  had  withdrawn,  to  person- 
ally arrange  that  I  might,  at  any  time,  have  immediate  access 
to  any  of  the  principal  local  authorities. 

On  reaching  the  street  and  rejoining  the  Consular  Corps 
I  was  congratulated  by  them  for  the  manner  in  which  I  had 
presented  matters  to  Governor  Dieguez,  and  several  of  them 
afterwards  made  calls  at  the  Consulate  to  emphasize  their 
respective  appreciations.  I  later  received  letters  from  the 
British  and  Italian  Vice  Consuls,  reading  as  follows:  "Sir: 
Referring  to  the  interview  accorded  by  the  Governor  and 
Military  Commander  of  the  State  of  Jalisco  to  the  American, 


90    THE  AUTHOR  THANKED  BY  OTHER  CONSULS 

French,  Italian,  Norwegian,  Swedish,  German  and  British 
Consular  officers  on  Saturday,  the  23d  instant,  I  feel  it  in- 
cumbent upon  me,  as  British  Vice  Consul,  to  offer  you  my 
sincere  thanks  for  the  very  earnest  and  plainly  spoken  man- 
ner in  which  you  informed  the  Governor  of  our  cognizance, 
as  a  Conscular  Corps,  of  the  sentiment  of  terror  which  has 
been  created  by  his  actions;  and  the  hope  you  expressed  to 
him  that  he  should  moderate  these  actions  has  my  most 
hearty  endorsement.  It  is  obvious  that  the  total  disregard 
of  the  rights  of  decent  citizens  of  this  city — the  threats  made 
them — and  the  fomenting  of  hatred  against  all  middle  class 
and  upper  class  Mexicans  who  are  insulted  and  persecuted 
by  the  soldiery  must,  sooner  or  later,  if  not  checked,  become 
more  dangerous  for  the  respectable  people  of  the  foreign  col- 
onies. Your  well-timed  and  manly  effort  to  stem  this  spirit 
of  anarchism  is  deeply  appreciated  by  the  Britsih  colony  in 
this  city,  who  are  well  aware  of  the  difficulty  and  danger  in- 
curred by  you  in  treating  with  a  form  of  Government  which 
is  countenancing  anarchy  and  violence."  (Signed)  P.  G. 
Holmes,  British  Vice  Consul. 

The  letter  of  the  Italian  Consul,  which  expresses  about 
the  same  sentiments  as  that  of  the  British  Consul,  was  in 
Spanish,  and  we  will  so  give  it: 

"Sefior  Vice  Consul :  Le  doy  las  gracias  por  haber  tenido 
la  iniciativa  de  que  los  Senores  representantes  de  los  na- 
ciones  estranjeras,  fueramos  a  hacer  una  visita  de  cortesia  al 
C.  Governador  del  estado,  Seiior  Manuel  Dieguez,  y  lo  mismo 
que,  de  una  manera  fina  y  delicada,  manifesto  Vd.  a  este 
funcionario,  la  alarma  que  existia  en  esta  Capital,  encar- 
iciendole  se  sirviera  dar  las  garantias  que  le  fuera  posible, 
tanto  a  las  colonias  estranjeras,  como  a  la  sociedad  entera  de 
Guadalajara. 

Por  tanta  elevada  y  noble  idea,  le  hago  presente  mi  re- 
conocimiento,   protestandole   mi   distiguida   consideracion,   y 


GOOD  RESULTS  OBTAINED  BY  INTERCESSION        91 

aprecio."  (Signed)  Jose  Roileri,  el  R.  Agente  Consular 
d'ltalia. 

News  of  this  conference  spread  over  the  city  with  great 
rapidity,  even  reaching  the  political  prisoners  detained  in  the 
Penitentiary,  and  we  were  soon  overwhelmed  with  congratu- 
lations from  foreigners  and  natives  alike.  And  truly,  from 
thence  up  to  the  attack  of  the  Villistas  the  following  30th, 
wonderful  changes  for  the  better  were  discernable  on  every 
side.  During  that  week  a  number  of  political  prisoners,  after 
having  gained  their  liberty,  came  to  embrace  and  thank  me. 
Although  I  explained  to  them  how  it  was  that  I  could  not 
take  up  their  cases  individually,  they  nevertheless  seemed  to 
believe  that  the  intercessions  of  the  Consular  Corps  had  saved 
their  lives. 

General  Dieguez  received  the  Consular  Corps  with  thor- 
ough courtesy,  and  seemed  to  appreciate  that  the  remarks 
were  made  in  a  spirit  of  friendly  counsel.  He  said  he  hoped 
we  would  understand  his  real  purposes — that  he  had  curbed 
the  Church  already  as  much  as  he  thought  would  be  neces- 
sary, and  hoped  hereafter  to  be  able  to  treat  his  enemies  with 
more  leniency  than  in  the  past;  and  that  it  was  his  desire  to 
furnish  thorough  protection  to  all  classes. 

The  conditions  referred  to  in  my  remarks  to  General  Die- 
guez could  not  very  easily  have  been  exaggerated — they  were 
horrifying — and  were  more  than  sufficient  to  stir  one  to  try, 
with  all  his  might  to  ameliorate  the  sufferings  of  these 
people.  Many  felt  that  we  were  staking  our  own  lives  in 
the  undertaking;  but  I  could  not  feel  so — I  only  felt  that  the 
innocent  blood  that  was  being  spilled  in  that  community  was 
crying  out  to  us  day  and  night;  we  believed  we  could  suc- 
cessfully stem  the  tide  of  the  then  reign  of  terror — duty  was 
calling  aloud,  in  the  name  of  humanity.  The  results  were 
such  that  every  member  of  the  company  who  called  on  Gen- 
eral Dieguez  on  that  occasion  might  well  feel  proud  of.     My 


92        GOOD  RESULTS  OBTAINED  BY  INTERCESSION 

address  to  General  Dieguez  was  the  nearest  approach  to 
overstepping  the  bounds  of  my  Consular  functions  in  all  my 
many  relations  with  the  numerous  governments  with  which 
I  had  to  deal  in  Mexico.  Instead  of  flying  into  a  passion, 
General  Dieguez  seemed  favorably  impressed  at  the  time; 
and  certainly  afterwards  kept  his  administration  reasonably 
free — as  free  as  any  Mexican  could  have  been  expected  to 
do — of  the  excesses  which  had  been  the  cause  of  the  appeal 
to  him  by  the  Consular  Corps. 


VILLISTAS'  SURPRISE  ATTACK  ON  GUADALAJARA     93 


CHAPTER  FOURTEEN 

SOME   RATHER   EXCITING  EPISODES   WHICH   OC- 
CURRED   DURING    GENERAL    DIEGUEZ'S 
SECOND  TERM   AT   GUADALAJARA 

February  2d,  1915. 
Unsuccessful  Attempt  of  the  Villistas  to  Retake  Guadalajara 
On  January  30th,  1915. 

I  was  awakened  at  5  A.  M.  on  the  morning  of  the  30th  of 
January,  and  at  first  thought  that  the  discharges  which  I 
heard  were  being  made  by  the  explosions  of  fireworks  from  the 
roofs  of  the  various  churches  of  the  city — a  thing  formerly 
not  very  uncommon  in  the  early  morning  hours — but  when 
I  began  to  note  the  reports  of  rapid-fire  guns  and  musketry 
within  a  half  block  of  my  hotel,  on  either  side,  I  was  sure 
that  a  hotly  contested  battle  was  in  full  progress.  About 
this  time,  the  guests  of  the  hotel — men,  women  and  chil- 
dren— began  pouring  into  my  room — all  in  sleeping  apparel, 
and  in  as  complete  a  state  of  terror  as  could  be  imagined, 
each  pleading,  as  in  one  voice,  "Socorro! — amparo!"  (suc- 
cor— protection) . 

I  advised  the  manager  of  the  hotel  to  keep  all  doors  closed 
and  to  have  every  one  come  up  to  the  fifth  floor,  where,  if 
they  would  keep  away  from  doors,  windows  and  balconies, 
they  would  be  comparatively  safe  from  flying  bullets.  We 
could  not  tell  at  the  time  what  was  happening,  except  that  a 
battle  was  in  progress ;  it  all  came  so  suddenly.  Some  thought 
it  was  caused  by  a  mutiny  among  the  Dieguez  troops.  It 
did  not  seem  reasonable,  in  times  of  war,  that  the  enemy 
could  have  entered  in  such  large  bodies — as  was  evidenced  by 
the  amount  of  shooting  that  was  going  on — and  have  so  thor- 


94      BATTLE  RAGES  IN  STREETS  FOR  THREE  HOURS 

oughly  distributed  themselves  over  the  city  unawares  to  the 
army  of  occupation  until  combined  attacks  were  made  at  one 
and  the  same  time  on  the  Palace  and  all  of  the  many  army 
barracks. 

The  only  war  cries  that  could  be  made  out  were  about 
such  as  I  had  imagined  a  Comanche  Indian  would  make  in 
battle.  After  about  two  hours  of  active  fighting,  during 
which  time  an  incessant  rattle  of  musketry  and  gatling  guns 
could  be  heard  as  coming  from  every  district  of  the  city,  the 
Villistas  began  to  lose  ground,  and  by  8:30  had  been  driven 
beyond  the  city  limits.  Cannon  fire  succeeded,  and  continued 
at  intervals  until  about  1 :30  P.  M. 

At  8  o'clock — when  the  line  of  battle  seemed  to  be  reced- 
ing towards  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  a  Carranza  Captain 
with  a  guard  of  soldiers  entered  the  Hotel  Fenix  to  make 
search,  as  (he  said,)  General  Dieguez  thought  he  had  seen 
people  firing  from  the  roof  of  the  hotel  building  during  part 
of  the  engagement.  But  such  was  not  the  case,  and  the  search 
was  fruitless.  This  Captain,  with  whom  I  was  acquainted, 
told  me  that  the  Villistas  had  done  a  great  deal  of  shooting 
from  the  roofs  of  buildings,  that  two  of  his  own  soldiers  had 
been  killed  by  shots  fired  from  a  building  across  the  street 
from  the  hotel,  and  that  many  arrests  of  the  owners  of  such 
buildings  would  be  made. 

A  naturalized  American  of  German  birth,  Bejamin 
Schuster,  owner  of  a  carbonated  water  factory  on  the  East 
side  of  the  city,  came  to  the  Consulate  that  morning  in  a  state 
of  great  alarm,  saying  he  was  being  hunted  by  soldiers,  be- 
cause the  Villistas  had  been  seen  firing  from  the  roof  of  his 
factory.  I  went  to  the  Commandancia,  and  told  the  Com- 
mandante  that  no  one  slept  in  the  factory,  and  that  the  pro- 
prietor was  ready  and  willing  to  have  the  building  inspected 
and  searched,  but  that  he  did  not  want  to  be  arrested.     The 


FRENCH  VICE  CONSUL  THREATENED       95 

Commandante  gave  me  a  "salva  conducto"  for  Mr.  Schuster, 
which  prevented  his  being  further  molested. 

Such  other  acts  and  incidents  occurring  before,  during 
and  after  the  battle  that  I  may  think  worthy  of  reporting, 
and  that  I  may  be  able  to  have  confirmed — will  be  included 
in  future  letters. 

It  is  natural  that  a  person  should  feel  a  little  vain,  when 
so  many  fly  to  him  for  protection  while  in  dire  distress,  but 
his  puff-ball  of  vanity  will  readily  develop  its  collapsible 
property  when  one  feels  entirely  helpless,  his  own  self,  and 
this  was  the  way  the  writer  felt  when  those  frightened  peo- 
pl  about  the  hotel,  proprietors,  servants  and  guests  clamored 
about  him  while  the  noise  of  the  battle  was  going  on.  They 
had  strayed  to  their  rooms,  but  when  the  officer  and  soldiers 
came  in  to  search  for  Villa  sympathizers,  back  they  all  came 
praying  that  I  speak  for  them  to  the  officer!  It  did  not  affect 
me  in  the  sense  of  tickling  my  pride,  I  felt  profoundly  sorry 
for  those  hotel  people.  I  couldn't  help  comparing  the  situa- 
tion as  it  impressed  itself  upon  my  mind  to  a  flock  of  sheep 
beseiged  in  their  fold  by  a  pack  of  snarling  wolves  thirsty  for 
their  blood,  with  nobody  at  hand  to  protect  them. 

February  3d,  1915. 
Arrest  and  Threatened    Execution    of   French    Vice    Consul 

Eugene  Pinzon 
I  am  herewith  transmitting  copy  of  a  joint  statement 
of  the  foreign  Consular  Corps  here,  referring  to  the  above 
subject,  and  will  sum  up  the  case  in  brief  as  follows :  On  the 
morning  of  the  13th  of  January,  the  Commandante  of  this 
plaza,  General  Pablo  Quiroga,  had  Mr.  Pinzon  arrested,  claim- 
ing that  he,  the  Commandante,  had  overheard  Mr.  Pinzon 
conversing  by  telephone  with  a  well  known  Villista  Captain 
from  San  Pedro,  a  near-by  town,  by  the  name  of  Mariano 
Schiaffino.     The  facts  as  I  found  after  going  into  the  case, 


96  UNITED  STATES  VICE  CONSUL  INTERVENES 

were  these :  The  chief  electrical  engineer  of  the  Street  Car 
Company  of  which  Mr.  Pinzon  is  manager,  is  named  Mari- 
ano Schiaffino  also,  and  lives  on  Hidalgo  street,  this  city. 
Mr.  Pinzon  had  telephoned  his  engineer  to  have  the  lines  re- 
paired, which  had  been  injured  during  the  battle  of  that  morn- 
ing, and  after  which  he  asked  engineer  Schiafftno  that  if 
he  could  get  in  communication  with  the  Garrita  at  San  Pedro, 
to  order  some  chickens  sent  to  his  house  from  a  hennery 
which  Pinzon  owned  out  there,  in  charge  of  Eugenio  Tos- 
cano.  This  engineer  Schiaffino  did.  Commandante  Quiroga 
overhearing  parts  of  the  conversation,  and  confusing  the  two 
Schiaffinos,  ordered  Mr.  Pinzon's  arrest.  W^hen  Mr.  Pinzon's 
friends,  amon^  them  French  merchants  representing  millions 
of  dollars — called  on  me  to  ask  my  intervention  in  Mr.  Pin- 
zon's behalf,  at  1 :15  P.  M.,  that  day,  and  I  had  learned  these 
facts — I  had  them  send  a  runner  to  the  house  of  engineer  Schi- 
affino, and  with  him  I  went  to  see  Commandante  Quiroga.  I 
explained  to  the  Commandante  that  my  Government  had 
charged  me  with  the  care  of  the  interests  of  all  foreigners 
whose  respective  Governments  did  not  have  official  represen- 
tation here,  and  that  as  I  construed  it,  it  was  now  incumbent 
upon  me  to  act  for  the  French,  as  the  Consul  of  that  country 
was  on  account  of  his  "incommunicado"  incarceration,  not 
in  a  position  to  serve,  at  least  during  the  time  of  such  im- 
prisonment. Mr.  Pinzon  was  put  at  liberty  at  1 :55.  The  only 
grounds  on  which  I  could  account  for  why  those  splendid 
French  business  men  had  failed  to  utilize  the  evidence  of 
engineer  Schiaffino,  was  that  they  felt  so  terro<-ized,  their 
thinking  faculties  must  have  been  paralyzed  for  the  time. 

The  foregoing  seems  to  me  of  double  importance :  first, 
the  arrest,  and  impending  execution,  without  process  of  trial 
— of  a  foreign  Consular  officer!  second,  as  an  illustration  of 
how  innocent  people  were  being   executed  on  mere  suspicion. 

When  at  the  Commandancia  in  behalf  of  American  citizen 


UNITED  STATES  VICE  CONSUL  INTERVENES  97 

Schuster  that  morning,  I  observed  Mr.  Pinzon  standing  in 
front  of  the  Commandante's  desk,  but  supposing  he  was  only 
there  on  something  of  a  like  mission  as  myself,  I  merely  salut- 
ed him ;  and  did  not  learn  that  he  was  actually  under  arrest 
until,  on  leaving  the  Palace,  I  met  a  number  of  his  country- 
men, who  gave  me  the  information.  Having  my  own  hands 
full  with  the  affairs  of  American  citizens  at  the  time,  I  told 
them  that  in  the  event  they  might  think  my  services  could 
be  of  any  avail,  to  let  me  know,  and  continued  on  my  way. 
These  gentlemen  did  not  call  on  me  until  1 :15  P.  M.,  as  stated 
above,  when  they  informed  me  that  they  had  just  came  from 
an  interview  with  General  Dieguez,  to  whom  they  had  ap- 
pealed, and  that  this  functionary  told  them  that  he  was  going 
to  have  Pinzon  shot!  I  was  equally  surprised  when  these 
gentlemen  told  me,  after  being  questioned,  that  they  had  not 
thought  of  trying  to  bring  engineer  Schiaffino  before  the  au- 
thorities. Said  Schiaffino  had  remained  in-doors  all  the  morn- 
ing— as  most  civilians  had  done — and  when  the  messengers 
whom  we  dispatched  for  him  told  him  what  we  wanted,  he 
seemed  very  much  afraid  to  leave  his  residence ;  but  was 
finally  persuaded  to  accompany  them.  I  went  at  once  with 
this  witness  before  General  Quiroga,  whose  naturally  brut- 
ish nature  would  not  permit  him  to  receive  us  in  manner 
that  I  could  describe,  as  "he  received  us  politely."  One  might 
as  well  have  expected  to  gather  roses  and  violets  from  thistles. 
Observing  that  engineer  Schiaffino  was  very  much  frightened 
at  the  prospect  of  having  to  face  this  beastly  murderer,  I 
endeavored  to  brace  him  up  before  reaching  General  Quiroga, 
and  I  verily  believe  that  his  courage  would  have  failed  him 
entirely,  had  I  not  been  in  possession  of  the  particulars  re- 
garding the  confusion  of  persons  of  the  same  name,  which 
enabled  me  to  extract  his  testimony  by  questioning  him  my- 
self, in  the  presence  of  General  Quiroga.  Though  General 
Quiroga  could  not  help  being  convinced  of  the  innocence  of 


98  FRENCH  VICE  CONSUL  PUT  AT  LIBERTY 

Vice  Consul  Pinzon,  as  well  as  that  he,  Quiroga,  had  most 
awkwardly  blundered,  I  thought  I  could  detect  that  he  felt 
sorry  at  the  prospect  of  Mr.  Pinzon's  escape  from  execution, 
for  he  viciously  hated  Pinzon. 

He  informed  us  that  Mr.  Pinzon  was  at  General  Dieguez' 
private  prison — if  yet  alive — and  that  we  would  have  to  see 
General  Dieguez  himself.  When  the  French  merchants,  with 
the  witness  Schiaffino,  arrived  at  General  Dieguez'  residence, 
they  were  told  that  Vice  Consul  Pinzon  had  just  then  been 
set  at  liberty.  General  Quiroga  had  reached  General  Dieguez 
by  telephone,  sooner  than  the  Frenchmen  could  arrive  afoot ! 


EFFORT  TO  DEPRIVE  FOREIGNERS  OF  FIREARMS    99 


CHAPTER  FIFTEEN 

THE  SECOND  TERM  O  FTHE  DIEGUEZ  ADMINISTRA- 
TION COMES  TO  AN  END :    AN  ACCOUNT  OF  ONE 
OF  THE  WRITER'S  PERSONAL  ADVENTURES 

Confiscation  of  Fire-Amis  and    Ammunition    of    Foreigners 
by  the  Carrancistas 

In  a  former  letter  I  incidently  mentioned  the  edict  of 
Governor  Dieguez  on  the  above  subject.  I  w^rote  to  General 
Dieguez  asking  him  if  said  edict  v^as  meant  to  apply  to  for- 
eigners. His  answer  was,  that  on  account  of  the  exigencies 
of  military  necessities,  foreigners  and  natives  would  be  alike 
included.  Afterwards,  Commandante  Quiroga  invited  the  Con- 
sular Corps  to  meet  him  on  Saturday  at  noon,  6th.  At  this 
meeting,  the  Consular  Corps  was  told  that  all  foreigners 
would  be  required  to  deposit  their  arms  and  ammunitions  in 
their  respective  Consulates  and  each  Consul  was  requested 
to  furnish  General  Quiroga  with  lists  of  all  arms,  etc.,  so  de- 
posited. This  was  complied  with,  and  on  Monday  evening, 
8th,  Commandante  Quiroga  sent  an  officer,  with  armed  sol- 
diers, to  demand  of  the  various  Consuls,  the  delivery  of  all 
arms  and  ammunitions  deposited  in  their  respective  Consul- 
ates. No  Consul  resisted,  except  British  Vice  Consul  Holmes 
who  was  threatened  with  execution  first  by  the  minor  officers, 
and  then  by  Commandante  Quiroga  himself  if  he  did  not  com- 
ply with  the  demand.  A  similar  call  was  made  on  me  the 
same  evening.  I  advised  the  officer  to  hunt  up  the  Consulate 
messenger  for  the  keys  if  he  wanted  to  get  into  the  Consulate 
at  such  hours — that  I  did  not  know  where  the  messenger 
stayed — and  that  if  he  could  not  do  that  he  would  have  to 
come  back  the  next  day.     Remembering  the  Department's 


100    EFFORT  TO  DEPRIVE  FOREIGNERS  OF  FIREARMS 

message  authorizing  me  to  close  the  Consulate  and  seek  a 
place  of  safety  at  any  time  that  in  my  judgment  I  might  feel 
myself  in  danger,  and  knowing  from  many  indications  that  the 
Dieguistas  were  preparing  to  evacuate  the  city  before  the 
advance  of  the  Villistas — I  closed  the  Consulate,  gave  the 
employees  a  vacation  and  went  to  visit  a  friend  in  the  mean- 
time; not  returning  until  the  Carrancistas  had  left,  which 
was  on  the  18th.  Thus  I  did  not  have  further  occasion  to 
meet  any  of  the  Dieguista  officers  or  soldiers  during  the  time 
of  their  efforts  to  secure  the  arms  and  ammunition  stored 
in  the  American  Consulate! 

Result : — The  American  Consulate  was  the  only  one  which 
did  not  give  up  its  stored  arms  and  ammunition.  After  leav- 
ing the  Commandancia  on  the  morning  of  our  visit  to  General 
Quiroga,  I  remarked  to  the  Consular  Corps  that  I  did  not 
think  we  would  have  any  trouble  over  the  question  of  the 
arms  that  were  to  be  stored  in  the  Consulates  unless  the  Car- 
rancistas should  have  to  evacuate;  and  that  I  for  one  did  not 
propose  to  be  used  as  an  agent  to  collect  arms  and  ammunition 
from  my  countrymen  to  aid  any  armed  faction.  Subsequent 
developments  proved  this  forecast  to  have  been  correct,  both 
as  to  the  demand  made  for  the  arms  and  my  non-compliance 
with  same.  All  the  other  Consuls  gave  up  on  demand,  all  the 
arms  deposited  with  them  except  British  Consul  Holmes. 
How  many  arms  were  so  collected  I  never  learned,  but  from 
the  French  Consulate  alone,  I  was  informed  that  the  num- 
ber of  rifles  taken  was  more  than  eighty,  with  ammunition  to 
correspond.  There  was  something  of  a  like  number  stored  in 
the  American  Consulate. 

At  8:30,  on  the  evening  of  the  8th,  while  I  was  playing 
a  game  of  chess  in  the  hotel  lobby,  the  manager  of  the  hotel 
touched  me  on  the  shoulder  to  attract  my  attention,  and  in- 
formed me  that  a  gentleman  was  waiting  to  see  me,  indicat- 
ing toward  a  Captain  standing  near  the  desk.    On  arising  and 


DEMANDS  ARE  MADE  ON  AUTHOR  FOR  FIREARMS  101 

looking  about,  I  saw  that  I  had  been  surrounded  by  four  arm- 
ed soldiers  while  absorbed  in  the  game.  I  approached  the 
Captain  and  asked  his  business.  When  we  had  understood 
each  other  as  has  already  been  told,  I  began  a  rapid-fire  of 
questionings  in  rather  fault-finding  tones  of  voice,  until  I  had 
the  young  fellow  stuttering  in  his  efforts  to  explain  why  he 
called  at  such  an  unseemly  hour.  There  is  nothing  like  "beat- 
ing them  to  it,"  as  the  saying  goes.  I  knew  this  Captain  was 
a  common,  ignorant  fellow,  and  while  I  acted  courteously 
toward  him,  he  went  away  knowing  that  there  was  a  vast  dif- 
ference between  my  own  and  General  Quiroga's  conception 
of  some  things,  and  that  calling  on  an  American  Consular 
officer  at  that  time  of  night  to  have  arms  and  ammunition  de- 
livered up  was  one  of  them.  The  Captain  spoke  of  return- 
ing at  8  o'clock  the  next  morning.  I  answered  no,  that  I  ex- 
pected to  be  occupied  with  a  very  important  matter  until  11 
o'clock,  and  that  it  would  be  of  no  use  to  call  at  the  consulate 
earlier  than  that.  I  kept  up  the  bold  front  that  I  had  as- 
sumed until  the  Captain  bowed  himself  out — and  then  I  re- 
turned to  my  game  of  chess.  Just  as  I  was  about  retrieving 
my  Queen  from  a  very  dangerous  position  on  the  board,  the 
game  was  again  interrupted  by  the  arrival  of  British  Vice 
Consul  Holmes,  who  seemed  very  much  excited.  Mr.  Holmes 
related  to  me  that  a  similar  call  had  been  made  on  him — that 
he  had  had  all  his  arms  stored  in  a  separate  room,  across  the 
door  of  which  he  had  placed  the  British  Consular  seal — that 
he  had  refused  to  open  the  door,  but  told  the  officer  that  if 
he,  the  officer,  wanted  to  assume  the  responsibility  of  break- 
ing in,  he  could  do  so — that  he  was  thereupon  threatened  by 
the  officer  and  ordered  to  remove  the  seals — that  he  again 
refused — that  the  officer  became  more  threatening — Holmes 
continued  to  refuse — the  officer  left,  to  ask  further  instruc- 
tions from  General  Quiroga,  etc.,  etc. 

The  next  morning  when  the  messenger  boy  came  to  my 


102     HOW  AUTHOR  AVOIDED  DELIVERING  UP  ARMS 

room  for  the  keys  to  the  Consulate — which  had  been  his  daily- 
custom — I  told  him  that  I  did  not  want  him  to  open  the  Con- 
sulate that  morning,  but  to  go  over  and  loiter  about  the  build- 
ing until  the  arrival  of  Clerk  Corrothers,  and  then  for  them 
both  to  come  to  me.  When  Mr.  Corrothers  arrived  I  directed 
him  to  go  to  the  Consulate,  to  impress  the  Consular  seal  amply 
on  good,  stout  paper,  to  close  both  doors,  and  paste  the  pre- 
pared seals  on  their  outsides  so  that  the  doors  could  not  be 
opened  without  breaking  the  seals,  and  then  for  him  and  the 
messenger  to  come  back  to  the  hotel.  These  directions  hav- 
ing been  fulfilled,  myself  and  staff  retired  to  the  roof  of  the 
building.  I  was  sure  that  we  could  depend  upon  the  fidelity 
of  the  hotel  people — from  the  manager  to  the  kitchen  skullion, 
for  they  all  thoroughly  detested  the  Carrancistas  and  very 
well  knew  what  we  were  about.  They  were  "with  us."  From 
time  to  time  during  the  day  I  sent  the  Clerk,  or  Messenger, 
to  telephone  to  the  British  Consulate  and  elsewhere,  by  which 
means  we  kept  posted  as  to  the  progress  of  affairs.  The  Car- 
rancistas had  all  entrained  by  that  morning  ,but  had  not  left 
the  City.  The  approach  of  the  Villistas  had  been  delayed 
on  account  of  burned  bridges.  The  Carrancistas  seemed  loth 
to  quit  Guadalajara — or  they  wanted  more  time  to  loot.  The 
British  Consul  telephoned  to  me  that  he  was  still  holding  out, 
but  had  been  threatened  with  death  if  he  did  not  comply  with 
General  Quiroga's  orders. 

Officers  and  soldiers  made  six  different  visits  to  my  room 
that  day.  When  they  would  ask  at  each  visit,  where  the  Am- 
erican Consul  was,  the  interrogated  employees  invariably 
answered,  "quien  sabe? — salio  en  la  manana."  W^ho  knows — 
he  went  out  this  morning.)  No  sooner  would  the  officers  leave 
the  hotel  after  each  visit,  than  the  employees  would  come  up 
in  troops  to  tell  us  all  about  it.  We  were  very  comfortably 
situated,  for  the  roof  of  this  hotel  (as  with  Mexican  buildings 
in  general)  was  flat,  and  was  utilized  for  many  purposes,  be- 


MILITARY  VISIT  AUTHOR'S  PRIVATE  ROOM         103 

sides  that  to  which  we  were  just  then  putting  it.  Easy  chairs 
had  been  sent  up  to  us,  as  was  everything  else  we  might  have 
needed  for  our  comfort  and  well-being,  including  meals. 

At  5:30  P.  M.,  one  of  the  elevator  boys  came  up  in  great 
excitement,  saying  that  the  British  Consul  wanted  to  talk  to 
me  at  once — that  the  call  was  very  urgent !  I  dismissed  Clerk 
Corrothers  then,  telling  him  he  had  best  go  home  to  his 
family  and  told  the  Messenger  boy,  (a  Mexican  whom  I  did 
not  think  any  of  the  officers  or  soldiers  would  recognize  as 
being  an  employee  of  the  Consulate,)  to  loiter  about  the  out- 
side of  the  hotel  awhile  longer,  and  where,  and  when  to  report 
to  me  later,  and  I  went  to  answer  Mr.  Holmes'  telephone 
call.  I  could  tell  from  Mr.  Holmes'  voice  that  he  was  laboring 
under  great  excitement.  What  he  said,  in  rapid  succession, 
was  about  as  follows:  "Matters  are  getting  very  serious — 
I  am  threatened  with  summary  execution  if  I  do  not  deliver 
up  these  arms — you  are  playing  them  just  right — only,  as  you 
know,  the  British  Consulate  is  in  my  private  house,  and  I  am 
thus  differently  situated — keep  out  of  the  way  of  those  devils 
— they  are  getting  furious — I  do  not  think  I  will  be  able  to 
hold  them  off  longer  than  their  next  visit — they  have  just  left 
here — they  are  coming  now  after  you  again,  etc.,  etc.,  they  are 
in  automobiles,  and  will  not  be  long  in  getting  there,  keep  out 
of  their  way  if  you  can."  I  did  not  say  anything  to  any  one 
about  the  hotel,  but  I  walked  across  Lopez  Cottillo  street,  to 
the  corner  of  San  Francisco  and  went  thence  in  a  northerly 
direction.  I  had  not  gone  farther  than  a  half  block  from  the 
corner  when  I  heard  machines  coming  from  the  South  on  San 
Francisco,  swish  around  the  corner  of  Lopez  Cotillo  and  I 
felt  sure  they  were  the  same  whom  Mr.  Holmes  had  just  fin- 
ished warning  me  about,  but  I  did  not  turn  around  to  see! 
The  messenger  on  coming  to  me  that  night,  related  that  at 
that  visit,  the  sixth  for  the  day,  the  principle  officer  seemed 
very  wrathful  at  not  having  been  able  to  find  me,  and  from 


104  ARMY  FAILS  TO  SECURE  ARMS 

the  sidewalk  in  front  of  the  hotel,  just  before  re-entering 
his  machine,  he  declared  aloud  that  if  he  did  not  find  me 
by  8  o'clock  that  evening  he  would  burn  down  the  doors 
of  the  Consulate  and  get  those  arm.s ! 

That  did  not  frighten  me  at  all.  I  could  not  help  being 
reminded  of  the  reply  of  Henry  VIII,  to  a  menacing  threat, 
in  effect  that  if  he  did  not  do  so-and-so,  every  soldier  he  had 
over  in  Ireland  would  be  killed! 

Although  the  departure  of  the  Carrancistas  from  the 
city  was  long  delayed  they  went  away  without  getting  as 
much  as  one  cartridge  from  the  American  Consulate.  Mr. 
Holmes  subsequently  told  me  that  after  having  to  go  in 
person  before  General  Quiroga,  he  compromised  by  giving 
up  only  a  part  of  the  arms  stored  in  the  British  Consulate. 

When  the  Villistas  came  in.  General  Delgado,  who  was 
Villa's  Commandante,  also  began  "nibbling"  at  the  arms 
stored  in  the  Consulate.  I  then  wrote  out  a  "salva  con- 
ducto,"  (a  term  used  to  mean  a  passport  as  well  as  other 
kinds  of  guarantees,  or  protection,)  for  myself,  including 
full  exemptions  of  such  arms  and  ammunitions  as  were 
stored  in  the  Consulate  and  sent  Clerk  Corrothers  out  to 
General  Villa's  private  train  for  his  signature  to  same.  He 
signed  it.  I  was  reliably  informed  that  General  Villa  could 
not  read,  but  had,  after  becoming  "prominent,"  learned  to 
scrawl  his  autograph.  And  as  soon  as  the  Carrancistas  re- 
turned again,  I  secured  a  similar  "salva  conducto"  from 
Dieguez.  I  was  getting  tired  of  being  bothered  about  those 
arms  and  this  was  my  way  of  finally  and  forever  putting  a 
stop  to  the  controversy  over  them. 

Neither  faction  ever  procured  any  arms  from  the  Am- 
erican Consulate ! 

But  Commandante  Quiroga  never  seemed  to  care  for 
me  after  that!  Somehow,  I  felt  that  he  entertained  a 
grudge  against   me,   for  both   having   euchered  him   out   of 


A  PERSONAL  ADVENTURE  OF  THE  AUTHOR'S       105 

those  arms,  and  the  pleasure  of  feasting  his  blood-thirsty 
appetite  when  in  the  act  of  having  Senor  Pinzon,  French 
Vice  Consul  executed,  whom  he  so  heartily  detested. 

But  I  will  say  the  best  thing  I  can  in  Quiroga's  favor, 
and  that  is,  I  do  not  remember  of  having  heard  as  bad  things 
about  him  as  of  one  of  Villa's  generals  by  the  name  of  Fier- 
ros,  of  whom  it  is  current  in  Mexico,  that  on  one  occasion, 
after  the  surrender  of  thirty  Carranza  soldiers — mostly  boys 
— he  personally  killed  all  of  them,  thus:  having  had  a  basket 
full  of  pistols  loaded,  he  had  the  prisoners  come  up  in  front 
of  him  and  kneel  when  he  put  the  muzzle  of  his  pistol  to 
the  forehead  of  one  after  another  and  shot  them — in  the 
order  as  their  names  were  called. 

"Can  you  beat  it?"  No,  and  I  question  if  Quiroga  has, 
so  far. 

After  leaving  the  Hotel  Fenix  as  already  related,  I 
went  for  that  night  to  the  Hotel  Aleman,  (German  Hotel,) 
and  the  Consulate  messenger  having  come  to  me  there  as 
per  appointment,  I  had  him  sleep  in  my  room,  fearing  that 
in  searching  for  me,  some  one  might  find  him,  and  compel 
him  to  tell  of  my  whereabouts.  No  one  except  Mrs. 
Schroeder,  the  proprietress,  and  her  daughter,  Louise, 
knew  of  my  being  in  this  hotel.  I  kept  to  my  room,  where 
my  meals  were  brought  to  me  after  all  others  had  been 
served,  and  the  way  was  clear.  Miss  Louise  served  my 
meals  and  also  secretly  conducted  the  messenger  to  my 
room  on  his  arrival,  all  of  which  had  been  prearranged". 
After  retiring  for  the  night  it  began  to  develop  that  the 
messenger  boy  felt  very  uneasy  about  his  personal  safety. 
He  remarked  more  than  once  that  if  the  Carranza  soldiers 
should  find  us  they  would  shoot  him  down  without  any 
ceremony  at  all.  I  tried  to  brace  him  up  by  telling  him 
that  I  would  protect  him,  but  he  answered  that  he  knew  I 
would  not  be  able  to  do  so,  that  he  was  a  Mexican,  that 


106      AUTHOR  FINDS  MEXICAN  FRIEND  IN  HIDING 

they  might  not  harm  me,  because  I  was  American  Consul, 
but  as  to  himself,  they  would  not  show  him  any  mercy — 
they  would  shoot  him  "lo  mismo  como  se  matan  los  perros." 
(The  same  as  killing  a  dog.)  Poor  fellow !  he  could  not 
help  it,  he  had  seen  so  much  of  such  performances !  I  de- 
termined that  I  must  get  rid  of  him,  not  that  night,  but  the 
next  morning.  So  waiting  until  he  had  gone  to  sleep,  which 
I  could  tell  from  hearing  him  snore,  I  got  out  of  bed,  and 
carefully  locked  the  only  door  of  escape,  and  secreted  the 
key.  I  did  not  want  him  to  escape  from  me  that  night — 
I  had  no  notion  of  separating  from  him  while  he  was  aware 
of  my  whereabouts,  for  if  he  had  been  found  he  would 
have  been  forced  to  betray  me.  So  after  breakfast  the  next 
morning  I  told  him  I  was  going  out,  probably  not  to  come 
back  and  for  him  to  remain  in  the  room  fifteen  minutes, 
and  if  I  had  not  returned  by  then  he  could  go  hence — to 
resume  his  former  labor,  to  make  all  the  money  he  could 
for  himself,  that  in  the  meantime  his  regular  pay  in  my 
service  would  be  kept  up — and  that  when  I  should  want 
him  again,  I  would  send  for  him. 

I  sauntered  away  from  the  hotel,  nor  did  I  tell  my 
friends,  the  Schroeders,  where  I  was  going — only  mention- 
ing that  I  might  retire  to  some  country  village.  When  I 
reached  friend  Earnest's  house,  I  found  in  hiding  there  also, 
(he  had  been  there  ever  since  the  Carrancistas  had  entered 
in  December),  a  Mexican,  by  the  name  of  Ricardo  Mendoza. 

"Dick,"  as  the  Americans  familiarly  called^  him,  had 
been  educated  in  the  States,  and  his  beautiful  wife  was  a 
pure  American  lady.  Said  Mendoza  had  been  for  a  long 
time  previous,  superintendent  of  the  Guadalajara  division 
of  the  Mexican  National  Railroad,  and  on  the  approach 
of  the  Carrancistas,  had  taken  refuge  in  the  home  of  Mr. 
A.  E.  Earnest.  It  was  in  obedience  to  directions  given  by 
this   same   Richard   Mendoza,   that  the   operating   crews   of 


MORE  ABOUT  OUR  MEXICAN  FRIEND  IN  HIDING    107 

the  trains  carrying  Americans  to  Manzanillo  in  April,  1914, 
managed  to  get  us  all  through  without  harm  from  the  num- 
erous Mexican  mobs  which  had  gathered  along  our  route. 
Of  course  he  had  friends  among  the  Americans,  all  of  whom 
would  have  been  glad  to  protect  him  in  any  way  that  they 
could!  We  were  both  waiting  for  the  Carrancistas  to 
leave — he,  in  fear  of  losing  his  life,  and  the  writer,  to  carry 
out  his  resolution  of  not  delivering  the  arms  and  ammuni- 
tion stored  in  the  American  Consulate  to  them — and  to 
avoid  having  his  risibles  titillated  with  the  bayonets  of  a 
lot  of  ignorant  savages,  as  had  happened  to  the  British  Vice 
Consul.  I  was  not  afraid  that  any  one  would  order  me  to 
be  shot,  yet  who  could  tell  but  some  fellow's  gun  might  go 
off  accidentally! 

Sefior  Dick  was  good  company  while  I  was  sojourning 
at  friend  Earnest's.  He  could  distinguish  the  whistle  of 
every  engine  in  the  railroad  yards.  Day  or  night  Dick 
would  say  number  so-and-so  is  going  out,  coming  in,  or 
switching,  as  the  case  happened  to  be.  He  was  listening 
all  the  while  to  hear  the  Carrancistas  go  out;  they  were 
very  slow  in  leaving  after  entraining — it  seemed  a  dreadful 
long  time  to  both  of  us.  Dick  had  not  seen  wife  and  chil- 
dren for  a  long  time,  and  they  did  not  know  where  he  was, 
only  they  had  been  assured  by  some  good  angel  that  he  was 
"in  the  hands  of  his  friends,"  and  I  had  come  away  from 
my  hotel  without  a  change  of  clothes,  and  it  would  never 
have  done  to  send  back  for  more !  But  about  9 :30  Saturday 
morning,  13th,  he  said,  "I  believe  they  are  getting  ready  to 
pull  out!"  and  in  a  little  while,  "yes,  they  are  going!" — 
he  could  hardly  contain  himself — and  after  a  little  longer 
wait,  "they  are  gone !"  and  then  he  began  capering  about  the 
room,  performing  all  kinds  of  "monkey-shines,"  and  slap- 
ping me  on  the  back  so  forcefully  that  I  could  not  help 
dodging  when  I  would  see  him  coming  toward  me.     Both 


108       CONCLUSION  OF  THE  AUTHOR'S  ADVENTURE 

he  and  I  emerged  from  our  hiding  at  once — and  it  was  on 
the  afternoon  of  that  day  that  the  Villistas  returned  to 
town. 

The  morning  after  my  "mysterious  disappearance"  all 
sorts  of  rumors  were  afloat  as  to  what  had  become  of  the 
American  Consul.  Some  had  me  in  the  Penitentiary, 
(which  seemed  to  be  my  favorite  resort,  by  report),  some 
had  me  murdered  while  I  was  trying  to  make  my  escape — one 
of  the  most  popular  methods  of  disposing  of  one — equally 
indulged  in  by  all  the  revolutionary  factions. 

The  members  of  the  Consular  Corps,  or  what  was  left 
of  them,  went  to  the  American  club  in  a  body,  to  oflfer  any 
assistance  within  their  power!  All  this  Mr.  Earnest  told 
me  at  noon,  when  he  had  come  in  for  lunch.  I  wrote  out 
a  "To  Whom  it  May  Concern"  statement,  to  be  put  on  the 
bulletin  board  of  the  club,  to  the  effect  that  I  had  voluntar- 
ily absented  myself  from  the  Consulate  for  a  short  time, 
and  that  meanwhile  the  British  Vice  Consul  would  look  af- 
ter American  interests,  etc.,  etc.  I  wanted  to  put  a  check 
on  these  sensational  reports,  fearing  that  some  hoo-do  yarn 
might  reach  the  Department  of  State,  and  maybe  get  into 
the  newspapers.  I  knew  that  I  was  very  well  protected 
against  either  of  these  calamities  until  the  Villistas  might 
come  in,  for  there  were  no  means  of  telegraphing  until  they 
should  reopen  communication. 

You  may  think  that  the  foregoing  is  a  very  long  ac- 
count of  a  very  insignificant  matter,  and  it  may  be,  and  so 
do  large  trees  from  little  acorns  grow.  If  one  should  not 
be  able  to  gather  more  from  it  than  the  mere  matter  of  my 
adventure,  I  should  regret  both  the  trouble  of  its  telling 
on  my  part,  and  that  of  its  perusal,  on  the  part  of  the  reader. 


THE  CASE  OF  AN  ARMENIAN  SUSPECT  109 


•     CHAPTER   SIXTEEN. 

GIVEN   AS  AN  APPENDIX   TO  THE   SECOND   TERM 
OF  THE  DIEGUEZ  ADMINISTRATION 

NOTE:  The  later  date  of  the  following  letter  explains 
itself,  and  as  the  subjects  therein  treated  pertain  to  the 
Dieguez  Second  Term  as  per  dates  stated  in  the  body  of  the 
letter — we  append  it  here : 

June    19,    1915. 
Some  Miscellaneous  Observations  not  Mentioned  in  Former 
Letters,  All  Bearing  on  the  Situation  Here 

In  making  up  my  former  reports  on  the  politicio- 
economic  situations  here, '  I  have  endeavored  as  briefly  as 
possible  to  give  as  faithful  pen-pictures,  from  time  to 
time,  as  the  semi-kalidioscopic  subject  would  admit  of,  but 
for  the  sake  of  brevity,  I  omitted  many  things  of  interest, 
some  of  which  it  will  be  the  purpose  of  this  to  relate,  and 
although  at  the  risk  of  having  to  use  the  personal  pronoun 
"I"  beyond  the  limits  of  good  taste,  I  nevertheless  feel  that 
these  episodes  should  not  forever  be  ignored,  but  should 
be  made  a  part  of  my  reports,  to  better  round  out  a  not  al- 
together uninteresting  experience. 

The  Case  of  a  Young  Armenian. — It  was  on  Saturday, 
January  23d,  at  6:30  P.  M.,  when  two  Armenian  merchant 
peddlers  came  to  me  while  I  was  seated  in  the  rotunda  of 
the  Fenix  Hotel  and  engaged  in  a  conversation  with  Brit- 
ish Vice  Consul,  Mr.  Holmes,  and  a  countryman  of  his.  The 
Armenians  told  me  that  their  partner,  a  man  by  the  name 
of  George,  had  just  been  arrested  on  the  charge  of  having 
been  a  Villista  Captain,  and  begged  my  intervention  in  his 
behalf.  As  it  was  beginning  to  grow  dark,  and  not  wishing 
to  expose  myself  to  a  possible  plot  to  inveigle  me  to  the 


no    THE  CASE  OF  THE  YOUNG  ARMENIAN  (Continued) 

Consulate  at  such  an  hour  by  persons  unknown  to  me,  (one 
could  not  exercise  too  much  care  in  those  days)  I  asked  the 
two  English  gentlemen  with  whom  I  had  been  conversing 
to  accompany  me,  which  they  readily  did.  Arriving  at  the 
Consulate,  I  wrote  Governor  Dieguez  a  letter,  letting  him 
know  that  I  was  cognizant  of  the  arrest  of  Mr.  George,  and 
asking  him  to  please  give  the  young  fellow  a  fair  hearing 
before  deciding  adversely  in  his  case,  which  I  felt  would  be 
sufficient  to  stay  any  summary  execution  of  the  prisoner, 
which  at  that  time  was  the  order  of  the  day. 

On  Monday  morning,  25th,  I  visited  Governor  Dieguez 
at  his  private  residence,  and  among  other  matters,  I  took  up 
the  case  of  the  young  Armenian  with  him.  General  Dieguez 
told  me  that  there  could  be  no  doubt  of  the  prisoner's  guilt, 
as  the  three  witnesses  that  he,  the  prisoner,  had  asked 
should  be  summoned  in  his  behalf,  all  swore  that  they  had 
known  him  to  have  been  a  Villista  Captain.  I  expressed 
to  Governor  Dieguez  that  I  could  scarcely  believe  the  pris- 
oner was  guilty,  that  perhaps  his  witnesses  might  have  felt 
intimidated — that  I  knew  it  was  not  the  custom  of  Ar- 
menians to  occupy  themselves  with  political  matters  in 
countries  to  which  they  emigrated — that  they  usually 
sought  homes  in  foreign  lands  to  ply  their  callings,  which 
were  generally  of  commercial  natures — that  as  a  rule,  they 
were  peaceful,  and  law-abiding — and  that  above  all,  in  this 
case,  and  that  which  appealed  to  me  most  strongly  in  the 
the  prisoner's  favor  was  the  apparent  sincerity  with  which 
the  young  fellow's  partners  in  trade  had  manifested  their 
ability  to  prove  an  alibi.  They  had  told  me  that  George 
was  their  purchasing  partner — that  the  bills  for  all  goods 
bought  had  been  made  out  in  his  name,  and  that  if  allowed 
a  week  or  ten  days  time  they  could  produce  them,  all  the 
way  from  Mexico  City,  to  Guadalajara,  with  their  respect- 
ive dates,  which  would  show  that  young  George  was  else- 
where than  in  and  about  Guadalajara  at  the  times   it  was 


THE  CASE  OF  THREE  RAILROAD  AUDITORS  111 

claimed  that  he  was  serving  in  the  Villa  army.  All  this  I 
recounted  to  General  Dieguez,  and  incidentally  mentioned 
that  on  account  of  the  absence  of  means  of  communication 
with  Mexico  and  intermediate  points  it  would  be  impossible 
for  these  partners  to  secure  from  the  different  merchants 
in  these  places  business  stationery  to  forge  the  evidence  on. 

General  Dieguez  acceded  all  the  time  that  might  be 
necessary,  and  at  the  end  of  eight  days  the  two  partners 
returned  to  me  with  their  commercial  documents.  This 
was  about  6:30  P.  M.,  but  this  time  I  returned  with  them 
to  the  Consulate  alone,  and  wrote  Governor  Dieguez  an- 
other letter,  enclosing  with  same  the  said  documentary 
evidence.  The  next  morning  at  9:30  all  three  of  the  Ar- 
menian merchants  came  to  the  Consulate  to  thank  me  for 
my  interventions  in  their  behalf,  and  of  young  George  es- 
pecially. Young  George  was  a  handsome  fellow  of  an  in- 
telligent and  honest  appearance.  They  all  seemed  over- 
come with  sentiments  of  gratitude,  and  when  informed  that 
they  owed  to  the  Washington  Government  everything 
which  had  been  done  for  them,  they  asked  me  what  was 
the  direction  to  Washington,  and  when  I  indicated  same, 
all  three  of  them  made  salams,  and  extended  their  arms 
in  that  direction  for  a  moment,  while  articulating  some- 
thing in  semi-whispers,  which  I  could  not  understand.  Af- 
ter each  of  them  had  shaken  me  by  the  hand  very  heartily, 
they  departed.  I  have  not  heard  of  them  since,  but  feel 
sure  they  will  ever  feel  profoundly  grateful  to  the  Gov- 
ernment that  afforded  them  vicarious  protection  while  they 
were  in  a  foreign  country,  and  in  sore  need. 

The  Case  of  Three  Railroad  Auditors 

At  2:30  P.  M.,  Thursday,  January  26th,  just  as  I  was 
preparing  to  leave  my  room  for  the  Consulate,  I  heard  a  knock- 
ing on  my  door,  and  on  opening,  three  handsome  young  Mexi- 
cans fell  to  hugging  me  so  affectionately  that  I  thought  they 


112  A  FAMILY  OF  SIX  DESTITUTE  SPANIARDS 

would  squeeze  the  life  out  of  my  body.  They  had  just  been 
released  from  the  penitentiary,  where  they  had  been  confined 
for  some  days,  under  the  charge  of  having  worked  in  their 
respective  positions,  (railroad  auditors,)  during  the  regime  of 
the  Villistas  here,  and  for  which  similar  "offence,"  several  of 
their  fellows  had  already  been  put  to  death!  I  told  these 
young  men  that  I  had  not  taken  up  their  cases  especially;  also 
how  it  was  that  I  could  not  intervene  with  their  own  Gov- 
ernment directly  in  behalf  of  any  particular  Mexican — but 
this  seemed  to  have  no  effect  in  diminishing  the  force  of 
their  demonstrations.  They  told  me  that  all  the  prisoners  in 
the  Penitentiary  confined  on  similar  charges — some  hundred 
or  more — had  heard  of  the  visit  which  the  foreign  Consular 
Corps  had  made  to  General  Dieguez — that  by  5  o'clock  that 
same  afternoon  they  had  began  singing  our  paeans — and  that 
the  doors  of  the  prison  had  just  been  opened  to  all  of  their 
kind,  instead  of  their  being  stood  up  and  shot  to  death,  as 
had  been  the  fate  of  so  many  heretofore ! 

These  were  not  all  of  the  political  prisoners  who  made 
similar  demonstrations — there  were  many  more. 

The  Case  of  a  Family  of  Six  Destitute  Spaniards 

It  was  some  time  ago,  that  a  Spanish  lady  came  to  the 
Consulate,  and  related  a  tale  of  woe.  She  and  her  husband 
had  lost  their  all  as  a  result  of  the  revolutions  in  Mexico,  and 
were  very  desirous  of  returning  to  their  native  country. 
(They  had  four  small  children.)  I  gave  her  a  letter  to  acting 
Governor  Berlanger,  setting  forth  the  facts  in  the  case,  and 
asked  him  if  he  could  not  find  a  way  to  send  these  people  to 
Vera  Cruz,  where  they  hoped  they  could  meet  Senor  Car- 
denas, the  Spanish  representative,  recently  arrived — with  a 
letter  from  this  Consulate  setting  forth  what  had  been  done 
for  them  here — and  expressing  the  hope  that  he,  Senor  Car- 
denas, might  in  turn  be  able  to  secure  passage  for  them  from 
there  to  their  native  land.    A  few  days  after  she  returned  to 


A  FAMILY  OF  SIX  DESTITUTE  SPANIARDS  113 

the  Consulate,  much  cast  down  in  spirit,  and  related  that 
when  she  arrived  at  the  State  Department  with  my  letter  she 
was  treated  quite  rudely,  and  among  other  things  was  told 
that  the  Government  was  not  furnishing  foreigners  with 
transportation  gratis,  and  was  asked  why  the  American  Con- 
sul did  not  furnish  it  to  them,  etc.,  etc.  She  had  been  given 
an  unsigned  "salva  conducto"  (passport)  which  said,  "by 
order  of  the  Governor."  I  advised  her  that  I  did  not  believe 
that  Acting  Governor  Berlanga  had  seen  my  letter — that  this 
unsigned  paper  would  serve  as  a  good  means  of  introducing 
the  subject — to  take  it  and  go  to  Governor  B's  private  resi- 
dence the  following  morning,  and  present  it,  with  a  copy  of 
my  letter  as  soon  as  he  came  out.  She  did  as  advised,  and 
Governor  Berlanga  took  her  along  with  him  to  the  Palace, 
had  the  parties  who  had  treated  the  lady  so  badly  called  in, 
and  after  scolding  them  for  not  having  referred  the  matter 
to  him,  directed  them  to  make  out  an  order  on  Sefior  Pani, 
Superintendent  of  Railroads,  to  give  these  people  (6)  free 
transportation  to  Vera  Cruz,  with  privilege  of  traveling  on 
either  regular  or  military  trains,  and  to  have  all  courtesies 
extended  to  them  while  making  the  journey. 

After  receiving  these  orders,  the  little  woman  came  back 
to  the  Consulate  to  tell  of  the  good  news.  She  was  in  a  state 
of  exaltation,  and  said  many  things  in  trying  to  express  her 
gratitude — some  very  extravagant — such  as  what  she  would 
tell  her  King  when  she  got  back  to  Spain,  etc.,  etc.  I  told 
her  that  whatever  her  feelings  of  gratitude  might  be  as  to 
the  matter  in  hand,  she  owed  it  all  to  Washington,  for  having 
a  care  for  unprotected  foreigners  in  this  country.  Many  of 
the  Spanish  colony — some  who  did  not  personally  know  the 
beneficiaries  in  this  particular  case — have  come  to  the  Con- 
sulate to  express  their  feelings  of  gratitude  for  the  protection 
that  was  being  extended  to  their  countrymen  by  the  Wash- 
ington Government. 


114  SECOND  ENTRANCE  OF  VILLA  INTO  GUADALAJARA 


CHAPTER  SEVENTEEN 

SECOND  TERM  OF  VILLA  ADMINISTRATION:     ITS 
ENTAIL  OF  POLITICAL  WHAT-NOTS  AND  ITS 
SUCCESS  IN  MAINTAINING  ITS  REPUTA- 
TION IN  THE  PERPETRATION  OF  ITS 
SHARE  OF  OUTRAGEOUS  MURDERS 

February  15,  1915. 

Second  Evacuation  of  Guadalajara  by  General  Dieguez,  (Car- 

rancista),  and  Second  Peaceful  Entrance  by  General 

Francisco  Villa 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  12th,  General  Manuel  M.  Dieg- 
uez evacuated  Guadalajara,  going  with  his  army  in  the  di- 
rection of  Zapotlan;  where  as  on  his  former  evacuation  he 
declared  he  had  moved  the  seat  of  the  State  Government,  and. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  13th,  General  Francisco  Villa 
made  his  second  peaceful  entrance,  being  received  more  en- 
thusiastically— if  such  were  possible — than  on  his  first  en- 
trance. 

General  Villa  arrived  at  the  Palace  at  4  P.  M.,  from  the 
balcony  of  which  he  addressed  the  largest  concourse  of  peo- 
ple that  I  had  ever  seen  gathered  in  the  plaza  and  street  in 
front.  People  of  all  classes  were  out,  and  rejoicing  as  if  they 
felt  their  dliverer  had  come.  Women  and  children  of  many 
of  the  best  families — who  had  not  been  on  the  streets  since 
General  Medina's  defeat  by  Dieguez  on  the  19th  of  February 
— were  seen  in  large  number.  Up  to  the  present,  a  sense 
of  security  has  been  enjoyed  by  the  people  in  general. 

General  Villa  is  out  with  the  principal  part  of  his  forces, 
in  pursuit  of  General  Dieguez.     The  veritable  reign  of  ter- 


SECOND  VILLA  REGIME  115 

ror  that  had  characterized  the  Dieguez  Second  term,  would 
have  caused  these  people  to  have  welcomed  any  change, 
for  they  had  been  led  to  feel — and  with  ample  reason — that 
hardly  anything  could  be  worse!  Truly,  this  second  term 
of  the  Dieguez  regime  had  been  a  continued  orgy  of  blood- 
shed and  of  assassinations — the  like  of  which,  for  the  time 
that  it  lasted,  palls  description,  and  if  depicted  in  all  of  its 
herripilating  atrociousness  would  only  serve  to  sicken  the 
mental  stomach  of  the  sane,  or  normally  constituted  reader. 
No  wonder  the  people  rejoiced  at  the  action  taken  by 
the  Consular  Corps,  and  it  was  not  a  matter  of  surprise  that 
they — at  least  for  the  time — were  so  extravagant  in  their 
expressions  of  gratitude — some  going  so  far  as  to  say  that 
when  peace  should  again  be  restored,  our  acts  would  be  com- 
memorated by  the  erection  of  a  monument  of  pure  ivory  in 
one  of  the  plazas  of  the  city !  Such  expressions  certainly  were 
flattering.  But  those  acquainted  with  Mexico  know  that  a 
monument  there  may  not  always  prove  a  lasting  honor. 
Mexican  character  is  fickle ;  the  heroes  they  worship  and 
erect  monuments  to  one  day,  they  may  curse  and  revile  at 
some  future  day.  It  was  asserted — and  I  have  never  heard  it 
disputed — that  after  the  Vera  Cruz  affair  Washington's 
monument,  erected  by  Mexicans  themselves  at  the  Capital 
in  Mexico  City,  was  pulled  down  by  the  furious  mob,  muti- 
lated and  subjected  to  all  sorts  of  indignities,  though  later  it 
was  restored  again  to  its  pristine  glory.  But  then  I  suppose 
that  instances  could  be  cited  where  people  of  more  advanced 
culture  were  guilty  of  similar  acts  of  unreasoning  vandalism 
in  times  of  blind  popular  fury." 

February  19,  1915. 
Dispatches  held  Until  Opportunity  Offers  for  Safe  Forwarding 

"I  believe  that  all  letters  received  at  the  Consulate  re- 
cently  had   been   tampered   with    before    reaching   me.     To 


116  OUTRAGES  TOWARDS  PRIESTS  AND  THE  CHURCH 

avoid  this  happening  to  my  dispatches  conveying  informa- 
tion of  the  situation  here,  I  am  holding  them  to  forward  by 
private  hands  to  the  States.  The  opening  of  letters  to  the 
Consulate,  and  especially  those  from  Washington,  is  a  prac- 
tice frequently  indulged  in  by  somebody.  As  to  Dispatches 
to  the  Department — especially  those  of  a  confidential  na- 
ture— I  never  have  risked  them  to  Mexican  mails,  even 
when  I  might  have  sent  them  thus,  but  always  waited  until 
some  one  on  whom  I  could  depend  was  coming  out,  to  have 
letters  mailed  after  he  had  reached  American  soil.  I  would 
not  care  that  the  Mexicans  should  read  my  dispatches,  while 
I  was  yet  in  the  land  of  the  Moctezumas! — and  either  of  the 
present  revolutionary  factions  in  control ! 

February  29th,    1915. 
Outrages  Towards  Catholic  Priests,  Nuns,  and  Church  In- 
stitutions in  this  District 

In  an  effort  to  gather  information  on  the  subject  of 
this  letter  I  put  an  American  lady — a  Catholic,  well  known 
to  be  devoted  to  the  Church — on  the  job  of  compiling  data 
on  the  above  subject,  and  she  returned  to  me  yesterday  with 
only  a  few  meager  notes,  saying,  "I  do  not  think  you  will 
make  use  of  these  notes,  for  I  found  it  impossible  to  have 
facts  substantiated  as  you  require.  Actually,  I  cannot  get 
the  people  most  interested  to  state  facts,  for  they  all  seem 
so  terrified  and  afraid — even  at  the  echo  of  their  own  voices. 
That  Fathers  Galvan,  Navarro,  Araiza,  Rameriz,  and  an- 
other priest,  were  executed  by  the  military  here,  there  can 
be  no  doubt,  but  as  to  the  acceptable  facts  in  each  case,  you 
will  have  to  wait  until  these  people  may  feel  they  can  talk 
about  such  things  without  being  taken  out  themselves  and 
executed  the  day  after."  I  must  therefore  take  further 
time  as  to  reporting  on  the  execution  of  Priests,  except  as 
to  that   of   Father   Galvan,   who   was   brutally   murdered   by 


OUTRAGES  TOWARDS  PRIESTS  AND  THE  CHURCH  117 

Carranza  soldiers  on  the  3d  of  January,  1915,  while  in  the 
act  of  administering  extreme  unction  to  fatally  wounded 
soldiers  of  either  faction,  in  the  streets  near  the  Municipal 
Hospital,  this  city,  and  afj;er  all  fighting  was  over. 

Before  reaching  Guadalajara  on  my  return  trip  last 
August,  I  heard  many  rumors  of  terrible  outrages  said  to 
have  been  perpetrated  on  the  persons  of  Catholic  Nuns  and 
Sisters  by  Carrancista  officers  and  soldiers  on  their  entrance 
to  Guadalajara.  I  was  so  horrified  at  these  accounts,  that 
I  made  a  personal  investigation  of  the  matter  as  soon  as 
I  could,  and  found  that  there  was  absolutely  no  truth  in 
those  rumors.  All  Nuns,  Sisters,  and  foreign  born  Priests, 
had  been  banished,  and  that  was  all.  Having  heard  worse 
reports  regarding  the  ravishing  of  Nuns  and  Sisters  at  Gu- 
anajuato, and  meeting  a  short  time  ago  with  an  English 
gentleman,  Mr.  Kenneth  Cunningham,  who  lives  at  Guana- 
juato, and  was  there  all  through  the  recent  revolutionary 
changes,  I  asked  him  especially  about  this,  and  he  answered 
that  the  reports  were  absolutely  false,  both  in  main  and 
in  detail.  Mr.  Cunningham  and  I  had  become  to  be  very 
good  friends — he  is  an  exceptionally  well  balanced  gentle- 
man, and  I  feel  sure  he  told  me  the  truth. 

While  I  am  not  a  Catholic  myself,  as  you  know,  I  am 
not  prejudiced  against  the  Catholic  religion,  yet  I  feel  there 
must  be  some  design  back  of  these  reports  that  have  been 
reaching  Washington.  The  unvarnished  truth  would  make 
a  bad  enough  showing — or  ought  to  suffice — even  for  the 
most  ultra-prejudiced. 

Both  revolutionary  factions  have  systematically^  used 
the  Archbishopric,  and  all  Catholic  school  buildings,  Con- 
vents, and  society  homes,  for  barracks,  or  have  used  them 
for  any  other  purposes  that  suited  them,  while  in  military 
control  of  Guadalajara,  and  I  was  told,  on  my  return  last 
August,  that  even  the  Cathedral  had  been  so  abused.    At  any 


118    SOMETHING  ABOUT  PRESENT  SITUATION  HERE 

rate,  soldiers  were  on  guard  in  the  open  front  doors  of  the 
Cathedral  for  some  time  thereafter.  As  formerly  stated, 
all  the  churches  of  the  city  had  been  closed,  but  now  many 
have  been  permitted  to  be  reopened,  yet  most  of  the  Priests 
are  still  in  hiding,  and  if  they  go  upon  the  streets,  they  go 
well  disguised. 

Padre  Jose  Cornejo,  who  you  will  remember  was  one 
of  our  best  friends  among  the  clergy — who  is  one  of  the 
most  eloquent  pulpit  orators  of  the  city,  a  Canon  in  the 
Church,  and  one  of  the  professors  in  the  leading  ecclesias- 
tical school  of  Guadalajara  (the  Priest  mill,  as  the  Mex- 
icans call  it — "el  molino  de  16s  Padres"),  calls  frequently 
at  the  Consulate,  but  always  comes  disguised.  Whereas, 
(as  with  all  the  other  Mexican  Priests,)  he  was  formerly 
smooth-shaved,  now,  he  sports  a  full  beard,  and  where  his 
Priestly  tonsure  used  to  be — at  the  crown  of  the  head — he 
has  also  allowed  hair  to  grow,  "where  the  hair  ought  to 
grow,"  according  to  the  long,  long  ago  song,  "Old  Uncle 
Ned."  He  told  me  that  he  was  trying  to  make  a  living  by 
running  a  carpenter  shop,  which  he  was  doing  under  an 
assumed  name ! 

What  the  majority  of  the  other  Priests  of  Guadalajara 
are  doing,  I  do  not  know,  but  if  they  come  out  of  their 
hidings  at  all,  they  emerge  in  disguise,  for  none  can  be  seen 
upon  the  streets  in  Priestly  attire,  (cloaks,  which  they  use, 
whether   in   warm   or   cold   weather.) 

February  24th,  1915. 
The  Present  Political  Situation  Here 

Since  my  letter  of  February  15th,  this  community  has 
enjoyed  a  state  of  quiet  and  security — as  complete  as  could 
be  hoped  in  times  of  war.  Truly,  the  contrast  between  the 
Dieguez-Quiroga  (Carranza)  and  the  Medina-Delgado 
(Villa,)  Governments  has  so  far  been  in  favor  of  the  latter. 


ACCOUNTS  OF  PRESENT  POLITICAL  AFFAIRS        119 

General  Villa  himself  is  here,  but  preparing  to  leave — 
some  say  to  encounter  Obregon,  at  Quereterro,  others  that 
he  is  going  to  Tampico. 

I  sent  Clerk  Corrothers  out  to  his  private  cars  yester- 
day, and  during  their  conversation,  General  Villa  told  him 
that  we  need  not  fear  the  return  of  Dieguez — that  his  army 
had  been  so  routed  and  destroyed  that  he  could  never  come 
back — that  he  would  leave  a  sufficient  force  here  to  success- 
fully combat  any  semblance  of  a  Carrancista  band,  that 
might  attempt  to  retake  the  city — and  that  if  it  should  by 
any  eventuality  turn  out  that  he.  Villa,  might  be  mistaken, 
he  would  personally  see  that  the  Americans  were  furnished 
a  special  train  to  get  out  on,  and  in  ample  time  to  escape 
further  contact  with  the  Dieguistas.  Perhaps  he  would,  and 
then  perhaps  he  might  not  find  himself  able  to  do  so,  if  such 
a  contingency  should  overtake  us.  Therefore — without  in- 
structions from  the  Department  to  the  contrary — I  shall 
make  it  a  point  to  have  the  Consulate  closed,  and  be  away 
from  here,  with  all  who  may  wish  go  with  me,  before  the 
Dieguistas  return,  whether  General  Villa  provides  the  spe- 
cial train  or  not.  And  this  I  have  announced  to  all  Ameri- 
cans, telling  them  that  I  feel  that  I  have  done  all  that  one 
couia  do  tor  them — that  I  feared  I  had  already  acted  against 
the  wishes  of  the  Department  in  remaining  through  such 
dangers  as  we  had  recently  passed,  and  that  I  failed  to  see 
why  any  of  them  would  want  to  remain,  and  chance  such 
times  again.  In  the  event  I  should  feel  I  must  go,  it  is  my 
present  purpose  to  leave  a  letter  to  be  delivered  to  General 
Dieguez,  setting  forth  my  reasons  for  having  departed,  and 
telling  him  that  I  would  not  reutrn  until  I  may  have  re- 
ceived assurances  that  Consular  representatives  would  re- 
ceive the  respect  and  protection  due  them,  and  be  shielded 
from  having  themselves,  and  Consulates  insulted  by  ignor- 


120        ACCOUNTS  OF  PRESENT  POLITICAL  AFFAIRS 

ant  subordinates,  or  words  to  that  effect;  excepting  always, 
the  possibility  of  my  Government  ordering  otherwise. 

NOTE:  At  the  time  of  writing  the  above,  it  was  fear- 
ed that  if  the  Carrancistas  should  again  get  in  control,  a  sec- 
ond Dieguez  reign  of  terror,  worse  than  the  first,  if  such 
could  be  possible — would  be  inaugurated. 

See  report  of  my  interview  with  General  Dieguez,  had 
immediately  after  his  return  under  date,  April  20th. 


VILLA'S  EFFORT  TO  HAVE  FOREIGNERS'  HELP      121 


CHAPTER  EIGHTEEN 

TELLING  PRINCIPALLY  ABOUT   HOW  THE  VILLIS- 
TAS    TRIED    TO    FORCE     FOREGNERS    TO 
CONTRIBUTE   TO   THEIR   SUPPORT; 
SUBTERFUGES  RESORTED  TO; 
ACCOUNT    OF    SOME    OF 
THE  VILLA  ASSASSI- 
NATIONS 

February  25th,  1915. 
Efforts  of  General  Villa  to  have  Foreigners  Contribute  to  the 
Support  of  his  Army 

Yesterday  morning  a  representative  of  General  Villa 
called  at  the  Consulate  and  said  in  substance,  that  General 
Villa  wished  I  would  notify  my  countrymen  that  he  wanted 
to  have  a  meeting  of  all  foreigners  at  the  City  Hall  at  12  M., 
When  asked  the  object  of  such  meeting,  he  said  he  did  not 
know.  I  told  him  that  I  was  very  busy,  but  would  com- 
municate General  Villa's  wish  to  as  many  as  I  could  reach 
by  telephone. 

General  Villa  did  not  go  to  the  City  Hall  himself,  but 
was  represented  by  Doctor  de  la  Puente,  his  financial  agent. 
The  proposition  made  at  the  meeting  was  to  assess  a  loan 
on  foreigners  for  the  support  of  the  army.  After  this  was 
shown  to  be  untenable,  a  loan  by  voluntary  contribution  was 
proposed.  When  this  was  shown  to  be  yet  worse,  then  the 
representative  said  that  the  foreigners  would  have  to  con- 
tribute in  some  way — that  there  would  be  a  way  found  to 
compel  them  to  do  so.  By  common  consent,  everybody 
seemed  to  look  to  me  to  meet  the  propositions;  in  fact  most 
of  the  Consular  Corps  had  come  to  the  American  Consulate 


122      AUTHOR'S  FIGHT  AGAINST  VILLA'S  DEMANDS 

in  advance  of  the  appointed  time  for  the  meeting,  and  asked 
me  to  do  so.  I  told  them  that  I  would  meet  questions  only 
as  American  representative,  and  if  other  foreigners  should 
profit  thereby,  they  v^ere  more  than  v^elcome.  The  sub- 
stance of  what  I  said,  as  the  Villa  representative  was  driven 
from  one  proposition  to  another,  was  as  follows :  I  have 
in  the  archives  of  the  American  Consulate  an  abundance  of 
instructions  from  my  Government,  to  protest  against  Am- 
erican citizens  being  compelled  to  contribute  to  the  support 
of  armed  forces  at  war  with  each  other. 

To  proposition  second,  that  should  an  American  citizen 
wish  to  make  a  voluntary  contrbution,  I  did  not  feel  that 
I  would  have  any  more  to  say  than  if  he  were  a  Mexican 
citizen;  but  would  think  that  such  an  act  might  place  such 
foreigner  in  a  still  worse  plight,  in  the  event  he  should  fall 
into  the  hands  of  the  enemies  of  the  faction  so  aided  by  him. 
Third,  that  regarding  any  other  manner  of  raising  funds 
from  American  citizens,  that  if  such  were  put  in  writing, 
and  I  furnished  a  copy,  I  would  incorporate  it  in  a  telegram 
to  Washington,  and  ask  instructions.  At  this,  the  represen- 
tative seemed  to  lose  entirely  his  already  waning  temper, 
and  said  that  the  foreign  Consuls  had  not  been  invited  to  the 
meeting  as  such.  To  this  I  replied,  that  when  General  Vil- 
la's message  was  delivered  to  me  in  the  manner  that  it  was, 
I  took  it  as  being  because  of  my  ofificial  position ;  but  that  as  I 
may  have  been  mistaken,  and  inasmuch  as  I  feared  that  an 
official  aura  would  remain,  however  strenuously  I  might  as- 
sume that  I  was  present  at  such  meeting  in  a  strictly  private 
capacity,  with  the  consent  of  the  representative  of  General 
Villa,  I  would  retire.  I  will  add  that  I  took  occasion  to  re- 
mark before  leaving  that  I  felt  I  would  refelect  the  senti- 
ments of  all  my  countrymen  there,  in  saying  that  they 
would  gladly  give  the  half  of  all  they  possessed  in  Mexico, 
if  such  would  guarantee  permanent  peace  to  the   Mexican 


EFFORT  TO  IMPOSE  TAX  ON  FOREIGNERS  123 

people,  but  to  contribute  one  cent  to  the  support  of  armed 
forces,  no ! 

The  meeting  proved  a  complete  fiasco,  the  representative 
finally  saying — as  I  was  afterwards  told — that  then  the  gen- 
eral tax  assessments  would  have  to  be  increased. 

This  was  the  only  occasion  in  my  various  experiences 
with  the  local  Consular  corps  that  caused  me  to  feel  a  little 
sore;  for,  after  having  come  in  a  body  to  the  American  Con- 
sulate, and  begging  me  to  take  the  lead — offering  to  back  me 
up  in  anything  I  might  say — not  one  of  them  followed  me 
out  when  I  left  the  hall. 

Perhaps  they  did  not  mean  they  would"  back  me  up  in 
anything  that  I  might  "do." 

March  11th,  1915. 

Governor  Medina's  Decree,  No.  62,  Imposing  an  Extraordin- 
ary Tax  on  Foreigners  under  the  Guise  of  a  State  Tax, 
But  in  Reality  for  Military  Purposes. 

I  am  herewith  enclosing  a  printed  copy  of  Governor 
Medina's  decree,  No.  62,  and  would  call  your  attention  to 
the  strictly  American  people,  and  companies,  in  the  list  there- 
to appended,  marked  "X,"  and  to  assure  you  that  nearly — if 
not  all — of  the  others  in  said  list,  are  foreigners  of  other 
countries,  or  at  least  representing  exclusively  foreign  people 
and  capital. 

The  decree  bears  date  of  March  1st,  but  was  not  made 
public  until  the  afternoon  of  the  day  after. 

I  at  once  tried  to  inform  the  Department,  but  three  days 
after  sending  a  typewritten  message  to  the  telegraph  office 
here,  the  original  was  returned  to  me,  with  the  information 
that  it  had  been  suppressed.  Also  three  other  messages  were 
returned  about  the  same  time,  and  with  the  same  piece  of 
information. 


124    AUTHOR'S  FIGHT  AGAINST  TAX  ON  FOREIGNERS 

I  then  asked  George  Corrothers  to  see  General  Villa,  and 
to  have  him  order  the  censoring  of  my  telegrams  stopped; 
and  that  if  not,  to  my  mind  there  was  left  but  one  of  two 
other  things  to  do — either  abrogate  edict  62,  as  applying  to 
American  citizens,  or  to  declare  me  persona  non  grata. 

Mr.  Corrothers  soon  returned,  and  assured  me  that  the 
result  of  his  conference  with  General  Villa  was  to  the  effect 
that  none  of  my  telegrams  would  be  suppressed  in  future; 
and  that  it  was  his,  Corrother's  opinion,  that  that  part  of 
the  decree  assessing  foreigners,  would  not  be  enforced. 

Well  knowing  the  duplicity  with  which  the  Government 
here  was  attempting  to  treat  all  the  foreigners  in  this  dis- 
trict, and  fearing  they  would  not  want  Washington  to  be 
informed  of  the  matter  (hence  the  suppression  of  my  tele- 
grams), I  had  several  firms,  whose  head  offices  were  in  the 
States,  telegraph  their  respective  heads,  and  ask  them  to  in- 
form Washington — and  it  was  through  this  that  Washing- 
ton found  out  about  it,  and  caused  the  Department  to  tele- 
graph George  Corrothers  to  take  the  matter  up  with  General 
Villa. 

George  Corrothers  received  Department's  instructions  on 
Saturday,  the  6th,  at  10  a.  m.  That  same  afternoon,  at  3, 
he  left  with  General  Villa;  but  before  going,  told  me  he  had 
had  a  talk  with  General  Villa's  Secretary  of  Foreign  Rela- 
tions, Sefior  Diaz  Lombardo,  and  that  the  matter  had  been 
suspended,  pending  decision. 

Ascertaining  that  the  local  authorities  disclaimed  any 
knowledge  of  such  action,  I  tried  to  telegraph  to  Washington 
again.  On  the  9th,  I  tried  again  to  send  a  telegram  after  I 
had  received  Governor  Medina's  answer  to  my  many  protests 
sent  him,  all  of  which  the  following  sample  will  serve  to  ex- 
plain, translated  from  Spanish : 

"According  to  definite  instructions  from  my  Government, 


SUPPRESSION  OF  AUTHOR'S  TELEGRAMS  125 

it  is  my  duty  to  protest  against  such  proceedings  with  refer- 
ence to  interests  of  American  citizens. 

"For  this  reason,  I  ask  you  to  issue  orders  to  the  effect 
that  the  imposts  referred  to  be  not  collected.  (Signed)  Will 
B.  Davis,  American  Vice  Consul,  and  addressed  *To  His  Ex- 
cellency, General  Julian  C.  Medina.' " 

General  Medina's  stereotyped  answer  to  each  was  as 
follows : 

"Answering  your  attentive  note  of  the  3d  inst.,  I  have 
the  honors  to  say,  that  it  is  not  possible  to  accede  to  ap- 
plications relative  to  the  relief  from  payment  of  the  extraor- 
dinary tax  created  by  decree  No.  62  of  this  Executive,  as  it 
refers  to  a  general  tax,  destined  to  defray  the  expenses  of 
public  administration,  and  to  afford  guarantees  (protection) 
to  the  interests  of  society,  of  which  said  Company  forms  part. 

"With  assurances  of  my  consideration,  etc.  (Signed) 
J.  C.  Medina,  and  addressed  to  American  Vice  Consul,  Will 
B.  Davis." 

My  last  telegram  was  soon  returned  after  sending  it  to 
the  Federal  Telegraph  office,  asking  its  key.  I  then  sent  it 
in  English ;  which  was  also  soon  afterwards  returned,  asking 
that  we  give  its  Spanish  translation!  We  did  so.  It  also 
was  refused,  butTt  was  the  only  original  returned  to  me  out 
of  the  seven  censored  telegrams  which  I  had  tried  to  send  to 
Washington  on  the  subject. 

When  I  had  gone  personally  to  the  telegraph  office,  and 
asked  for  the  originals  of  the  other  telegrams  (this  on  the 
5th,  and  before  Villa's  departure)  I  was  told  they  did  not 
have  them — that  they  were  in  the  hands  of  General  Villa! 

It  seems  clear  that  the  authorities  did  not  want  Wash- 
ington to  know  what  they  were  attempting  to  do  to  for- 
eigners. 

After  furnishing  translation  of  telegram  of  the  7th,  and 
learning  that  it  had  been  suppressed  notwithstanding,  I  sent 


126      CONFERENCE  OF  AUTHOR  WITH  GOV.  MEDINA 

it  by  Consular  Clerk  Charles  Corrothers,  to  General  Medina 
with  the  wish  to  know  why  it  could  not  be  transmitted  to 
Washington.  Mr.  Corrothers  found  Doctor  de  la  Puente  and 
Governor  Medina  togethei.  (Dr.  Puente  is  Geheral  Villa's 
agent,  left  here  for  the  purpose  of  raising  funds.)  Mr.  Cor- 
rothers reported  that  both  Governor  M.  and  Doctor  de  la  P. 
seemed  very  much  agitated  over  the  matter.  They  had  much 
to  say  about  not  wanting  to  stir  up  trouble  with  Washing- 
ton, etc.  They  jointly  declined  to  let  the  telegram  go  through, 
but  gave  a  sort  of  indefinite  assurance  that  Americans  would 
not  be  forced  to  pay  the  tax. 

In  a  talk  with  General  Medina  the  morning  after  Mr. 
Corrothers'  visit,  he  told  me  that  the  reason  they  had  refused 
to  send  my  telegrams,  was  that  I  had  called  the  "extraordinary 
contribution"  a  "forced  loan." 

I  answered  that  a  rose  by  any  other  name  would  smell 
as  sweet;  and  that  he  knew,  as  well  as  I — and  as  everybody 
else  here  knew — that  this  so-called  "extraordinary  contribu- 
tion" was  purposed  for  nothing  else  than  the  support  of  armed 
forces— that  the  general  tax  in  the  upper  part  of  his  edict 
would  produce  more  than  enough  to  cover  even  extraordinary 
expenses  of  administering  the  State  Government — that  to  say 
nothing  of  the  rank  injustice — and  infringement  of  interna- 
tional obligations  in  general — it  was  an  unqualified  violation 
of  our  Mexican-American  treaties. 

I  also  reminded  him  of  what  passed  at  the  meeting  of 
foreigners  that  was  held  at  the  City  Hall  a  week  or  ten  days 
previous  when  the  proposition  to  have  foreigners  give  finan- 
cial aid  to  the  support  of  General  Villa's  army  was  bare- 
facedly made  by  General  V.'s  representative,  Doctor  de  la 
Puente,  who,  after  finding  it  unacceptable,  then  said  that  some 
way  would  be  found  to  compel  the  foreigners  to  contribute 
to  the  Villa  cause,  etc.,  and  finally  adding,  that  this  self-same 
decree  of  his  (Gov.  Medina's)  was  the  first  effect  of  that  de- 


CIRCUMVENTS  HIS  WOULD-BE  CIRCUMVENTORS     127 

termination;  and  that  I  thought  it  was  useless  to  try  and 
disguise  the  fact.  He  said  he  was  surprised  that  the  for- 
eigners were  so  opposed  to  the  terms  of  the  decree,  and  wanted 
to  know  why. 

I  answered  that  we  were  more  surprised  that  he  would 
propose  such  a  thing — that  in  our  opinion  he  would  not  be 
sustained  in  such  action  before  any  competent  jury  of  neu- 
trals in  all  Christendom — and  that  I  therefore  felt  that  before 
he  had  a  right  to  ask  me  as  to  the  whynesss  of  our  attitude, 
it  would  be  proper  foi  him  to  justify  his  actions — barring 
brute  force. 

I  had  another  interview  with  him  yesterday,  and  he  con- 
ceded an  "armistice"  until  next  week,  but  not  before  he  had 
placed  embargos  on  French  business  houses;  no  Americans 
have  so  far  been  molested,  or  any  others  who  have  been  under 
the  protection  of  this  Consulate. 

Fearing  from  the  start  that  the  authorities  might  try  to 
circumvent  any  efforts  on  my  part  to  reach  Washington,  I 
early  in  the  fight  wrote  dispatches  for  a  number  of  com- 
mercial houses,  and  had  them  wire  their  head  houses  in  the 
States,  appending  urgent  requests  to  each  that  they  be  at 
once  relayed  to  Washington.  And  this  is  how  I  circumvented 
my  would-be  circumventers. 

What  I  most  wished  for  just  then,  was  official  instructions 
from  Washington,  fresh  off  the  wire,  to  show  those  fellows. 
Of  course  I  knew  what  such  instructions  would  be,  but  I 
wanted  to  have  them  in  black  and  white. 

March  25th,  1915. 
Continued  Effort  of  Villa  Government  to  Have  Foreigners 
Pay  "Extraordinary  Tax" 
I  herewith  enclose  newspaper  copy  of  decree  No.  68,  by 
Military  Governor  Medina,  that  you  may  see  with  what  per- 
sistence  the   authorities   here  are   trying  to  have   foreigners 


128        CONTINUING  EDICTS  AGAINST  FOREIGNERS 

contribute  to  the  support  of  armed  forces  under  one  guise  or 
another.     It  is  growing  distressingly  annoying. 

In  my  opinion,  matters  are  fast  coming  to — or  have  al- 
ready arrived  at — such  a  pass,  that  ordinary  protests  will 
prove  of  no  avail  unless  the  Washington  Government  puts 
an  effectual  stop  to  such  attempted  extortions. 

The  facts  are,  that  this  edict,  No.  68,  has  been  issued 
especially  with  reference  to  reaching  those  who  have  not  yet 
complied  with  edict  No.  62,  and  by  its  terms,  makes  the  de- 
mands on  foreigners  more  severe,  if  anything,  than  the 
latter. 

I  might  say — without  much  risk  of  misstating — that  this 
edict  No.  68  is  directed  especially  at  foreigners,  and  is  of  a 
confiscatory  nature. 

As  the  following  refers  to  the  same  subject  as  the  fore- 
going, I  am  giving  it  here.    It  explains  itself: 

April  24th,  1915. 

Re-Extraordinary  Contribution  Demanded  of  Foreigners  by 
the  Villa  Government 

After  wrestling  with  the  Villista  authorities  over  the 
above  subject  for  a  month  or  more,  I  finally  succeeded  in 
having  everything  in  edicts  Nos.  62  and  68  abrogated,  except 
as  to  clauses  1,  2  and  3,  of  Edict  No.  62. 

I  also  succeedd  in  having  an  extension  of  time  granted 
to  the  30th  of  this  month.  After  securing  these  concessions, 
I  advised  all  to  wait  until  the  last  limit  of  the  time  granted, 
suggesting  that  perhaps  before  then  (the  30th)  the  Villistas 
might  have  evacuated — (as  they  actually  did  on  the  19th). 

Ever  since  my  return  here  last  August,  I  have  had  al- 
most a  continuous  fight,  first  with  one  faction,  then  with  the 
other,  over  the  matter  of  forced  loans  and  extraordinary  con- 
tributions, levied  on  foreigners;  but  so  far — with  the  strong 


VILLISTAS  ASSASSINATE  POLITICAL  SUSPECTS      129 

support  the  Department  has  g-iven — we  have  succeeded  in 
winning  out  in  each  and  every  case,  not  only  for  Americans, 
but  for  all  foreigners. 

If  the  revolution  keeps  up,  I  expect  to  yet  have  to  fight 
against  similar  demands — made  under  one  guise  or  another — 
and  I  hope  and  pray,  with  equal  success.  But  both  sides  are 
becoming  more  and  more  greedy  and  if  they  ever  catch  me 
entirely  cut  off  from  communication  with  Washington — or 
can  succeed  in  preventing  me  from  doing  so — I  fear  future 
results  may  not  be  so  favorable. 

In  connection  with  this  last  interview,  the  following  is 
worth  recording:  As  a  bribe  to  induce  me  to  quit  stirring  up 
Washington  about  these  "loans,"  and  to  shut  my  eyes  against 
the  enforcement  of  the  edicts  on  other  nationals,  I  was  of- 
fered exemption  from  their  operations  to  all  who  were  under 
the  protection  of  the  American  Consulate!  "And  what  do 
you  think  of  that?" 

April  28th,  1915. 

An  Account  of  a  Pew  of  the  Many  Assassinations 
by  the  Villistas 

The  following  account  of  some  of  the  assassinations  by 
the  Villistas,  taken  in  connection  with  those  of  the  Carran- 
cistas,  as  related  in  my  letter  to  you  February  19,  will  not 
only  go  to  show  that  it  is  not  in  order  for  the  Villista  pot 
to  call  the  Carranza  kettle  black — or  vice  versa — but  that 
each  of  the  factions  are  obsessed  with  the  spirit  of  murder, 
to  about  an  equal  degree. 

The  Case  of  Nine  Political  Suspects 

It  was  during  the  first  term  of  the  Villa  Governor,  Gen- 
eral Medina,  that  nine  political  prisoners  were  sent  out  from 
here  on  a  Mexico  City  train,  under  military  escort.    Among 


130  ASSASSINATION  OF  J.  C.  GALLARDO 

these  prisoners — all  respectable  civilians — were  a  Catholic 
Priest  and  a  prominent  lawyer  of  this  city.  When  the  train 
arrived  at  Ocotlan,  some  hour  and  forty  minutes  from  here, 
all  the  nine  prisoners  were  marched  out,  stood  up  against 
the  adobe  wall  of  the  cemetery,  and  shot  to  death.  This  was 
done  without  the  prisoners  having  had  the  semblance  of  a 
trial,  or  having  been  notified  of  their  doom,  until  they  were 
stood  up  in  line  to  be  executed ! 

The  conductor  of  the  train  was  an  eye-witness  to  these 
murders,  and  added,  after  relating  the  occurrence,  "It  was 
one  of  the  most  brutal  performances  that  I  ever  witnessed." 
I  leave  out  details,  as  I  feel  the  bare  facts  are  sufficiently 
uncanny. 

The  Case  of  Joaquin  Cuesta  Gallardo 
After  General  Villa's  second,  and  last  taking  of  Guadala- 
jara, on  a  Saturday  night,  at  9  o'clock,  Joaquin  Cuesta  Gal- 
lardo, one  of  the  most  prominent  and  wealthiest  citizens  of 
Guadalajara,  a  member  of  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  highly 
respected  families  of  the  State,  himself  thoroughly  esteemed 
by  all  who  knew  him,  aged  45  years,  the  husband  of  a  daughter 
of  the  reputedly  wealthiest  family  in  the  State,  the  father 
of  eight — and  early  to  have  been  of  nine — children,  went  to 
call  on  General  Villa,  in  the  private  car  of  the  latter,  to  beg 
relief  from  the  destruction  of  his  properties  by  Villa  soldiers. 
Hot  words  were  exchanged.  Result :  General  Villa  ordered 
that  Joaquin  Cuesta  Gallardo  be  taken  immediately  to  the 
Municipal  Cemetery,  and  shot! 

Family  and  friends  could  not  learn  anything  of  the  fate 
of  Joaquin  Cuesta  Gallardo. 

One  version  had  it  that  he  was  taken  with  Villa  to  Chi- 
huahua; another,  that  he  was  shot  the  same  Saturday  night. 
Anyhow,  the  family  went  into  deep  mourning;  and  a  few 
nights  ago,  the  body  was  secretly  exhumed,  and  identified, 


ASSASSINATION  OF  J.  C   GALLARDO  131 

both  by  the  evidence  of  clothing,  and  by  that  of  an  American 
dentist  who  had  plans  of  work  which  he  had  done  on  the 
victim's  mouth  a  short  time  before  the  assassination. 

Villa's   Second.  Term   ended   by   his   second   evacuation, 
April  19th,  1915,  "and  he  never  came  back" — to  Guadalajara. 


132    THIRD  DIEGUEZ  OCCUPATION  OF  GUADALAJARA 


CHAPTER  NINETEEN 

THIRD   TERM    CARRANZA-DIEGUEZ   ADMINISTRA- 
TION: FORMER  REIGN  OF  TERRO  NOT 
RENEWED 

Second  Evacuation  of  Guadalajara  by  the  Conventionalistas 

(NOTE. — Where  the  word  "Constitutionalist"  occurs  in 
these  Chronicles,  it  always  means  Carrancista,  and  that  of 
"Cenventionalista,"  Villista.) 

Each  faction,  however,  was  both  as  unconstitutional  and 
as  unconventional  in  the  violation  of  all  constitutional  Gov- 
ernment, as  they  knew  how  to  be — and  the  terms  were  merely 
assumed  by  each  without  regard  to  their  meaning. 

April  20th,  1915. 
Third  Occupation  by  the  Constitutionalistas 

Although  the  Conventionalista  army — some  4,000  strong 
— and  the  employees  of  the  postoffice,  telegraph.  State  and 
Municipal  Departments,  and  all  who  were  working  for  the 
railroads  during  the  Conventionalista  occupation,  as  well  as 
many  private  citizens,  left  on  the  16th,  the  Constitutionalista 
forces — some  2,000  in  number — headed  by  General  Manuel  M. 
Dieguez,  did  not  reach  Guadalajara  until  about  noon,  on  the 
18th. 

General  Dieguez'  entrance  was  perfectly  peaceful.  He 
went  at  once  to  the  Plaza  de  la  Constitucion,  in  front  of  the 
Palace,  and  harrangued  the  public,  which  received  and 
cheered  him  quite  heartily. 

His  speech  was  as  usual,  inveighing  against  the  Villistas ; 
^ — and  among  other  things  which  he  said  was :  "I  understand 
that  all  Church  bells,  and  especially  those  in  the  Cathedral 


INTERVIEW  OF  AUTHOR  WITH  GEN.  DIEGUEZ      133 

towers,  rang  out  welcomes  when  General  Villa  entered  Guada- 
lajara the  last  time.  I  will  see  (pointing  to  the  Cathedral 
towers)  that  those  bells  will  never  sound  again!" 

After  this  talk  from  the  pavilion  of  the  plaza  (the  Palace 
was  not  yet  reopened)  General  Dieguez  and  staff  went  direct- 
ly to  the  Hotel  Fenix. 

I  called  on  him  at  once,  and  he  received  me  cordially.  I 
told  him  that  my  early  visit  was  not  only  for  the  purpose  of 
paying  my  respects  without  delay,  but  to  ask  of  him  a  "sal- 
vaconducto,"  protecting  both  myself  and  the  American  Con- 
sulate from  any  bother  at  the  hands  of  his  subordinates  under 
any  pretext  whatever.  Indeed,  I  had  written  the  "salva- 
conducto"  myself  before  calling.  He  read  it  hastily,  and 
signed  it. 

Then  he  told  me  that  he  had  heard  of  my  fight  with  the 
Villistas  against  a  loan  from  foreigners,  and  wished  I  should 
relate  to  him  particularly  my  recent  "tilt"  with  Doctor  Ramon 
de  la  Puente  at  the  meting  of  the  foreigners  called  by  General 
Villa.  I  asked  him  what  he  had  heard.  He  told  me.  I 
answered  him  that  his  information  was  substantially  correct. 

The  next  morning  after  breakfast,  General  Dieguez  asked 
me  to  go  with  him  to  his  room,  which  was  in  the  hotel,  where 
he  talked  to  me  very  freely,  assuring  me  that  he  had  not 
come  back  to  persecute  anybody — that  he  wanted  to  turn  the 
city's  government  affairs  over  to  a  committee — that  he  had 
thought  of  calling  a  meeting  of  the  business  public,  especially 
members  of  the  Board  of  Trade,  to  advise  him  as  to  what 
form  of  Government  they  wished,  etc. 

I  congratulated  him  on  this  determination,  adding  that 
if  he  would,  in  connection  with  this  action,  make  all  monies 
that  had  been  forced  upon  the  public  since  the  revolution,  of 
the  denomination  of  one  peso  and  less,  circulate  with  equal 
protection,  it  would,  in  my  opinion,  greatly  relieve  the  dis- 
tress of  the  poor  especially,  and  aid  business  in  general. 


134  ACTION  TAKEN  BY  CONSULAR  CORPS 

He  took  the  sug-gestion  favorably,  and  at  the  meeting  of 
the  business  men's  committee,  authorized  them  to  do  this. 

General  Dieguez  left  this  afternoon,  going  towards  Ira- 
puato,  to  join  General  Obregon,  it  is  thought. 

At  present,  all  municipal  and  some  State  affairs,  are  in 
the  hands  of  the  Citizen's  Committee  of  five,  headed  by  Senor 
Louis  Castellanos — all  good,  conservative  men. 

My  suggestion  to  General  Dieguez  in  regard  to  the  matter 
of  revolutionary  money,  was  merely  the  following  up  of  my 
remarks  on  such  matters  which  I  made  on  the  occasion  of 
the  visit  of  the  Consular  Corps  to  him  on  January  23d  (which 
part  I  omitted  in  giving  account  of  same — in  my  letter  dated 
Feb.  2nd). 

April  24th,  1915. 
Present  Political  Situation  Here,  and  Action  Taken  by  the 
Consular  Corps 

Referring  to  that  part  of  my  letter  of  the  20th,  regarding 
the  appointment  of  a  Citizen's  Committee  by  General  Dieguez, 
I  sent  the  following  invitation  to  the  members  of  the  local 
Consular  Corps : 

"Gentlemen : — The  British  Vice  Consul  and  myself  have 
thought  it  well  to  ask  you  to  call  at  the  American  Consulate 
at  12  M.  today,  that  we  may  go  in  a  body  to  call  on  Senor 
Louis  Castellanos,  and  assure  him  of  our  hearty  approval  of 
his  acceptance  of  the  responsibility  of  heading  the  local  Civil 
Government  authorized  by  General  Dieguez,  and  tell  him 
that  we  will  hold  ourselves  ready  to  use  our  joint  efforts  to 
protect  him,  and  all  his  subordinates,  from  persecutions  at 
the  hands  of  any  revolutionary  faction  which  might  in  the 
future  take  possession  of  the  Government  here." 

All  responded;  they  heartily  approved  of  the  suggestion 
without  regard  to  nationality — and  the  matter  was  so  acted 
upon. 


OUR  ISOLATED  SITUATION  135 

I  felt  that  in  view  of  the  foreign  interests  here  needing 
the  contemplatel  protection — quite  as  much  as  those  of  the 
natives — we  were  justified  in  assuring  Seiior  Castellanos  of 
our  appreciation  of  his  acts,  as  well  as  guaranteeing  to  him 
all  the  protection  that  our  united  efforts,  as  Consular  rep- 
resentatives, might  be  able  to  extend,  especially  since  ac- 
cording to  report,  in  two  similar  cases  in  the  Republic,  all 
civilians  who  had  taken  part  in  such  efforts,  were  stood  up 
and  shot  to  death,  by  the  first  incoming  revolutionary  band 
that  entered. 

Indeed,  it  was  the  common  practice  among  all  the  revo- 
lutionary factions,  to  kill  everybody  who  had  had  to  do  with 
Government  affairs  of  former  regimes,  and  was  usually  the 
first  thing  they  proceeded  to  do  on  newly  entering  a  town! 

In  fact,  this  same  Sefior  Castellanos  went  into  hiding  at 
the  approach  of  General  Dieguez  this  last  time,  and  I  was 
present  when  he.  General  Dieguez,  asked  a  Mr.  Guillermo 
Collignon  to  go  out  and  bring  Seiior  C.  in  by  assuring  him 
that  he  was  not  wanted  for  purposes  of  execution,  but  to  be 
used  by  the  new  Government  to  assist  it  in  its  Municipal  af- 
fairs!— quite  a  contrast  to  General  Dieguez'  behavior  when 
he  made  his  econd  entry  into  Guadalajara! 

April  25th,  1915. 
Our  Present  Isolated  Situation 

We  have  again  been  entirely  deprived  of  mail  and  tele- 
graphic communication  with  the  outside  world,  and  the  pros- 
pect of  an  early  betterment  of  this  great  inconvenience  is  not 
very  promising.    Our  last  mail  was  received  on  the  19th  inst. 

Four  kilometers  of  railroad  track  between  here  and 
Colima  on  the  Manzanillo  branch  was  not  only  torn  up  by 
by  the  Conventionalistas  before  leaving,  but  the  rails  and 
cross-ties  carried  away.  I  do  not  think  any  efforts  have  been 
made  to  repair  this  breach. 


136         FORMER  REIGN  OF  TERROR  NOT  RESUMED 

On  the  railroad  from  here  to  Irapuato,  ten  or  twelve 
culverts  have  been  burnel.  This  road  could  be  put  in  order 
in  a  few  days,  but  there  does  not  seem  to  be  any  one  to  do 
it.  Then  there  is  no  locomotive,  or  a  single  car,  on  the 
Guadalajara  division,  between  here  and  Irapuato  on  the  East, 
or  Colima,  on  the  South. 

General  Estrada  thinks  that  telegraphic  communication 
between  here  and  Vera  Cruz,  via  Pachuca,  will  be  open  in  a 
few  days,  and  promised  to  notify  me  as  soon  as  it  was  ac- 
complished, but  I  feel  sure  he  will  not  do  anything  of  the 
kind.    These  people  seem  to  easily  forget  such  promises. 

I  am  sending  this,  and  other  letters  and  dispatches,  by  a 
gentleman  who  leaves  for  Manzanillo  in  the  morning.  It 
may  be  some  time  before  I  will  be  able  to  get  any  more  mail 
out.  But  I  shall  continue  to  write  up  matters  the  same  as  if 
communication  was  open,  and  forward  when  opportunity 
occurs. 

May  8th,  1915. 

Situation  Here  at  Present 

The  present  occupation  of  this  city  by  the  Constitution- 
alistas,  has  been  in  marked  contrast  to  their  former — the  dif- 
ference all  being  in  favor  of  the  present. 

I  have  not  heard  of  a  single  case  of  persecution,  or  of 
summary  execution,  since  their  last  return  to  Guadalajara. 

Personally,  I  am  on  the  best  of  terms  with  the  present 
authorities,  and  can  assure  you — as  far  as  anything  down  here 
can  at  present  be  assured — that  their  conduct  toward  the  gen- 
eral public  will  be  more  respectful  of  the  lives  and  rights 
of  others,  than  either  of  their  former  occupations. 

We  are  now  isolated;  our  only  outlet  by  rail  since  the 
Villista  evacuation,  has  been  via  Manzanillo,  and  this  by  an 
occasional  military  train.  Within  the  past  few  days,  this  has 
been  interrupted. 


DEMANDS  FOR  REPAYMENT  OF  TAXES  137 

I  have  heard  that  a  body  of  Villistas  had  taken  Colima, 
and  had  destroyed  many  bridges  South  of  Zapotlan. 

Demand  by  Constitutionalist  Faction,  Repayment  to  Them  of 

All  Taxes  Paid  to  the  Conventionalistas,  During  the 

Latter's  Occupation — Past,  Present 

and  Future 

"I  will  call  your  attention  to  the  enclosed  copy  of  a  cir- 
cular letter  from  Louis  Cabrera,  Carranza's  Secretary  of 
Treasury  (?),  to  all  Administradores  de  Rentas  (tax  col- 
lectors), as  well  as  my  letter  to  acting  Governor  Berlanga, 
dated  today,  on  the  above  subject." 

I  am  not  waiting  for  Governor  Berlanga's  answer,  as 
I  have  an  opportunity  to  send  this  and  other  correspondence 
out  by  private  party  going  to  El  Paso — leaving  here  at  6 
tomorrow  morning. 

It  may  be  some  days  before  Governor  B.  replies,  and 
then  it  might  be  a  long  time  before  another  opportunity  would 
present  itself  for  getting  correspondence  out. 

Guadalajara,  Mexico,  May  8th,  1915. 
"Seiior  M.  Aguerre  Berlanga, 

Acting  Governor. 

"Sir: — I  have  learned  that  both  the  Central  and  local 
Constitutionalista  Governments  will  decline  to  recognize  re- 
ceipts issued  for  taxes  paid  during  the  occupation  of  this  city 
by  the  Conventionalistas. 

"It  would  seem  that  this  is  not  based  on  justice,  and  I 
will  have  to  protest  energetically  against  such  a  resolution, 
in  so  far  as  it  concerns  the  interests  of  foreigners  under  the 
protection  of  this  Consulate. 

"Foreigners  who  might  subject  themselves  to  this  class 
of  acts,  would  thereby  at  least  tacitly  imply  a  recognition 
on  their  part  of  the  legality  of  one  or  the  other  faction,  al- 


138  THE  ALARMING  ECONOMIC  SITUATION 

though  neither  faction  is  at  present  recognized  by  any  Gov- 
ernment. 

"While  it  is  the  duty  of  persons  resident  in  a  foreign 
country,  to  submit  to  the  laws  in  force  in  such  country — be 
the  Government  de  jure,  or  de  facto — it  is  not  for  them  to 
decide  if  such  Government  is,  or  is  not,  legally  constituted. 

"I  will  present  to  you  the  following  concrete  case :  While 
the  Conventionalista  forces  occupied  this  city,  I  received  in- 
structions from  Mr.  W.  J.  Bryan,  Secretary  of  State  of  the 
United  States,  to  pay  the  taxes  of  an  American  mining  com- 
pany, and  to  draw  on  him  for  the  amount  so  expended.  I 
went  to  the  tax  office,  and  made  the  payment,  and  then  drew 
on  Mr.  Bryan  for  the  amount,  attaching  to  my  draft,  the  re- 
ceipts of  the  Government  I  then  found  here.  Now,  I  leave 
it  to  your  superior  judgment,  whether  it  was  incumbent  on 
me  to  say,  if  that  Government  was  legal  or  not — and  if  I 
should  now  make  a  second  payment  to  the  Government  which 
I  now  find  in  power,  and  again  draw  on  Mr.  Bryan. 

*'I  avail  myself  of  the  opportunity  to  assure  your  ex- 
cellency of  my  high  appreciation.  (Signed)  Will  B.  Davis, 
American  Vice  Consul." 

To  the  best  of  my  memory,  Governor  Berlanga  never  did 
answer  the  above  letter. 

May  14th,  1915. 
Bearing  Upon  the  Deplorable  and  Alarming,  Economic 
Situation  Here 

As  forecasted  in  my  letter  to  you  of  November  7,  1914, — 
wherein  I  said:  "Conservative  people  here  prophesy,  that  be- 
fore the  middle  of  the  year  1915,  starvation  will  be  at  the 
doors  of  thousands  who  never  before  had  experienced  the 
pangs  of  hunger,"  that  this  prophecy  was  not  far-fetched,  but 
well-founded ;  so  much  so  that  it  is  already  coming  true,  and 
will   indefinitely   grow   worse,   and  will  send    thousands    of 


THE  ALARMING  ECONOMIC  SITUATION  139 

human  beings  to  their  graves,  if  the  mild  climate  and  wild 
fruits  and  herbs,  do  not  prove  their  meager  salvation. 

Ten  days  ago,  Acting  Governor  Berlanga  called  upon 
the  Guadalajara  public  for  a  contribution  of  one  hundred 
thousand  pesos,  for  the  immediate  relief  of  the — as  the  case 
was  put  by  him — starving  poor. 

The  foreign  Consular  Corps  came  in  a  body  to  the 
Araferican  Consulate  to  consult  as  to  what  should  be  done 
by  the  foreigners,  in  this  matter.  It  was  decided  to  appoint 
a  committee,  of  which  I  was  made  a  member,  to  notify  Gov- 
ernor Berlanga  that  the  foreigners  would  gladly  contribute 
their  mites  to  this  humanitarian  cause,  provided  it  could  be 
so  arranged  that  the  money  subscribed  should  not  be  deliv- 
ered to  any  political  faction  for  distribution,  but  to  the 
"Beneficencia  Publica,"  a  committee  to  be  named  by  the 
Guadalajara  Merchants'  Association,  and  by  them  to  be 
handled  and  distributed  entirely.  The  Governor  agreed  to 
this. 

The  French  Consular  Agent  was  requested  to  make  an 
apportionment  of  twenty-five  thousand  pesos  to  be  ^raised  by 
the  foreign  colonies,  of  which  fifty-five  hundred  was  allotted 
to  the  American  Colony. 

We  already  have  subscribed  five  thousand  of  this,  and 
have  not  yet  asked  individual  subscriptions — that  is  to  say, 
we  have  secured  a  perfectly  good  subscription  of  five  thousand 
pesos  from  various  firms  and  companies.  The  remainder  can 
easily  be  secured. 

I  thought  it  worth  while  to  tell  you  of  this,  that  you 
might  realize — although  our  colony  is  very  small,  com- 
paratively poor  and  growing  poorer  day  by  day  on  account 
of  every  kind  of  happenings  and  embarrassments  that  such 
a  revolution  as  is  going  on  brings — that  the  American  colony 
of  Guadalapara,  taken  as  a  whole,  is  composed  of  mighty  good 
people. 


140  THE  ALARMING  ECONOMIC  SITUATION 

May  27th,  1915. 
Present  Situation  Here 

Guadalajara  remains  in  a  state  of  complete  isolation  with 
reference  to  communication  with  the  outside  world  through 
public  utilities.  Only  by  persons  going  out  from  here,  and 
chancing  to  ultimately  reach  Manzanillo,  on  the  South,  or  El 
Paso,  on  the  North,  have  we  been  able  to  get  any  mail  out 
at  all,  since  the  19th  of  April,  and  that  we  have  not  received 
any  since. 

The  conduct  of  the  present  Government  under  Acting 
Governor  M.  Aguirre  Berlanga,  toward  the  public,  has  been 
of  a  considerate  nature ;  and  true  to  the  promises  of  General 
Dieguez,  on  his  last  entrance  to  Guadalajara,  there  have  not 
been  any  persecutions  nor  summary  executions. 

On  account  of  the  fact  that  General  Obregon  has  called 
part  of  the  local  garrison  to  his  aid  in  his  now  active  cam- 
paign against  General  Villa — extending  from  Irapuato  to 
Aguascalientes — General  Estrada  has  not  sufficient  troops  left 
to  extend  protection  to  the  entire  State. 

But  Governor  Berlanga  tells  me  that  if  General  Obregon 
succeeds  in  driving  General  Villa  to  the  North,  that  it  will 
then  be  only  a  short  time  before  complete  order  will  be  re- 
stored throughout  the  State  of  Jalisco. 

In  view  of  the  terrible  times  that  this  community  has 
gone  through,  first  under  one,  and  then  another,  of  the  con- 
tending factions,  I  feel  that  the  conduct  of  affairs  under  Gov- 
ernor Berlanga  cannot  be  commended  too  highly. 

The  economic  situation  is  anything  but  satisfactory,  and 
can  scarcely  grow  other  than  worse. 

In  my  dispatch,  dated  the  14th  of  this  month,  I  referred 
to  the  matter  of  raising  one  hundred  thousand  pesos  for  the 
relief  of  the  starving  poor  of  Guadalajara,  and  the  assumption 
of  twenty-five  thousand  of  this  by  the  foreigners  here;  and 


ECONOMICO-POLITICAL  SITUATION   (Continued)       141 

the  allotment  of  fifty-five  hundred  of  this  latter  amount  to 
the  American  colony.  Our  colony  has  already  raised  an  even 
six  thousand,  checks  for  which  I  am  holding  in  the  Con- 
sulate safe,  to  be  turned  over  to  the  "Beneficiencia  Publica" 
committee  as  son  as  named,  and  v^rhen — and  not  until  then — 
the  remaining  seventy-five  thousand  pesos  has  been  paid  over 
by  the  Mexicans,  as  their  part. 

Also,  I  must  know  that  the  agreement  between  Governor 
Berlanga  and  the  Consular  committee  has  been  faithfully 
complied  with. 

June  3d,  1915. 
The  Very  Anomalous  Situation  Here,  and  Near-by  Elsewhere 

The  situation  here  is  so  very  anomalous  that  I  thought 
it  would  be  interesting  to  you  to  know.  I  reiterate  to  you 
the  contents  of  my  letter  of  May  17th,  wherein  I  somewhat 
eulogized  the  Constitutionalista  officer  in  charge  of  the  Gov- 
ernment here  at  present. 

But  I  mu^t  say  that  the  entire  State  of  Jalisco,  excepting 
Guadalajara  and  its  immediate  vicinity,  and  along  the  rail- 
roads from  here  to  Irapuato  and  to  Manzanillo,  is  in  the 
hands  of  the  Conventionalistas  (Villistas). 

Since  my  dispatch  of  May  27th,  there  have  arrived  at 
Guadalajara  from  Irapuato,  some  2,500  soldiers,  which  it  is 
claimed  were  sent  here  for  the  purpose  of  putting  all  the 
outlying  districts  now  in  the  hands  of  the  Villistas,  under 
Carrancista  control.  And  it  would  appear  that  this  was  the 
real  object  of  sending  soldiers  here,  for  several  bodies  of 
these  troops  have  already  been  sent  out  in  the  direction  of 
Ameca,  Quemada,  and  San  Cristobal. 

But  when  these  troops  began  to  arrive,  it  was  believed 
that  it  was  the  beginning  of  a  retirement  move  of  the  Obregon 
forces  toward  Guadalajara,  for  the  issue  between  the  Obregon 


142    VILLISTAS  ATTEMPT  TO  RETAKE  GUADALAJARA 

and  Villa  armies  seems  by  no  means  to  have  been  yet  de- 
cided, one  way  or  another. 

And  in  the  event  General  Obregon  should  lose,  it  is 
believed  that  he  would  come  to  Guadalajara,  instead  of  going 
towards  Mexico  City. 

In  which  case  I  feel  that  Guadalajara  will  become  the 
theater  of  some  of  the  most  interesting  military  movements 
since  the  beginning  of  the  revolutions  in  Mexico;  and  in  its 
train,  throw  onto  this  Consulate,  responsibilities  probably 
greater  than  it  has  yet  borne. 

Be  it  as  it  may,  however,  and  whether  we  may  be  further — 
and  for  a  longer  time — cut  oiT  from  communication  with 
Washington,  I  shall  remain  at  my  post  as  long  as  permitted, 
and  try  to  at  lease  ameliorate  the  sufferings — not  only  of  those 
immediately  under  the  protection  of  this  Consulate — but  of 
all,  including  the  Mexicans  themselves — as  I  have  done  in 
the  past — and  feel  that  with  former  experiences,  and  the  con- 
fidence that  each  of  the  i  evolutionary  factions  entertain  to- 
ward the  sincerity  of  my  purposes,  on  account  of  the  fairness 
that  has  always  characterized  my  actions  in  each  and  every 
contingency  heretofore,  that  I  will  be  better  equipped  for 
such  yet  greater  responsibilities. 

June  19th,  1915. 
Second  Attempt  of  General  Medina   (Villista  Governor)   to 
Retake  Guadalajara 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  15th  of  this  month.  General 
Medina,  former  Constitutionalista  Governor  of  this  State, 
with  a  force  of  some  2,000  soldiers,  attempted  to  retake 
Guadalajara,  beginning  the  attack  at  3  p.  m.,  and  continuing 
a  sort  of  running  fight  until  5  o'clock. 

The  Medina  forces  did  not  come  nearer  than  the  suburbs 
of  the  city — they  were  repulsed  by  the  Constitutionalista 
forces. 


SACKING  OF  AMECA  BY  THE  CARRANCISTAS        143 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  17th,  the  Conventionalistas,  by 
removing  parts  of  the  machinery  of  the  electric  power  plant 
at  Puente  Grande,  some  fifteen  miles  from  the  city,  deprived 
Guadalajara  of  light  and  water  for  about  16  hours;  for  the 
pumps  of  the  city's  waterworks  are  run  by  electric  power 
derived  from  there.  The  city  was  in  total  darkness  up  to 
4  a.  m.,  on  the  night  of  the  17th. 

It  was  thought  that  this  was  done  for  the  purpose  of 
making  another  night  attack — such  as  was  fully  reported  in 
my  letter  of  February  3d;  but  that  same  afternoon  General 
Dieguez  arrived  with  reinforcements,  and  is  now  actively 
pursuing  the  Conventionalistas  in  every  part  of  the  State. 

June  19th,  1915.     " 
The  Sacking  of  Ameca,  This  State,  by  Carrancista  Soldiers 

I  am  sorry  to  have  to  report  on  the  very  bad  behavior 
of  a  Carrancista  force  of  about  300,  under  the  command  of 
Col.  Gayou,  on  Sunday,  the  6th. 

The  Villistas  evacuated  without  making  any  resistance 
whatever,  and  the  Carrancistas  entered  without  firing  a  gun. 

The  business  houses  of  Ameca  were  all  closed  at  the 
time  of  the  entrance  of  the  Carrancistas,  which  was  about  5 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon ;  but  the  soldiery  broke  them  open, 
and  after  gutting  the  stores,  tore  down  even  the  shelvings 
and  counters  and  carried  them  away. 

They  then  turned  their  attention  to  private  residences, 
which  were  also  generally  sacked.  All  this  was  done  without 
apparent  excuse  or  provocation. 

Of  the  half  dozen  Americans  residing  at  Ameca,  none 
were  molested. 

I  casually  met  Col.  Gayou  on  the  street,  when  he  under- 
took to  exculpate  himself  from  responsibility  for  the  sacking 
of  Ameca,  saying  that  he  was  in  the  rear  of  his  troops,  and 
that  the  sackings  had  all  taken  place  before  his  arrival;  but 


144        SACKING  OF  AMECA  BY  THE  CARRANCISTAS 

he  did  not  mention  having  punished  any  of  his  soldiers  for 
having  plundered  the  town,  nor  that  any  of  the  pelf  had  been 
taken  from  them. 


i 


FOOD  CONDITIONS,  PRESENT  AND  PROSPECTIVE    145 


CHAPTER  TWENTY     . 

CONTINUATION  OF  THE  CARRANZA-DIEGUEZ 
(CONSTITUTIONALISTA)  REGIME 

Food  Conditions,  Present  and  Prospective,  in  the   State  of 

Jalisco ;  and  Some  References  to  a  State  of  Political 

Affairs,  Which  Tend  to  Aggravate  the 

Situation 

I  apprehended  that  your  inquiry  of  the  19th,  was  meas- 
urably the  result  of  my  letter  to  you  dated  May  14th,  entitled, 
"Bearing  Upon  the  Deplorable,  and  Alarming  Economic 
Situation  Here." 

As  this  letter  was  more  directly  the  result  of  visible,  and 
reported  conditions — and  especially  the  appeal  made  by  Gov- 
ernor Berlanga,  therein  reported — I  went  to  see  Governor  B. 
on  receipt  of  your  letter  to  ascertain,  in  case  of  necessity,  the 
facilities  for  transporting  foods  introduced  from  the  outside, 
for  the  benefit  of  the  civilian  poor;  and  also  to  obtain  from 
him  such  data  as  he  might  be  able  to  furnish,  with  the  view 
of  making  up  an  ample  report,  as  you  so  much  desire. 

Governor  Berlanga  declared  that  no  outside  assistance 
was  now  needed.  He  also  informed  me  that  he  had  been 
directed  by  General  Carranza  to  furnish  him.  General  C.,  with 
full  data  as  to  the  food  situation  in  this  State,  and  promised 
me  the  use  of  such  in  making  up  my  reports  to  you. 

But  from  past  experiences  in  depending  upon  such  sources 
for  information — especially  as  to  correct  information — I  went 
to  work  on  the  case  independently. 

The  amount  of  deception  that  one  has  to  deal  with 
here — especially  when  in  quest  of  data  for  giving  information 
to  outsiders — is   inconceivable,   except   to   those   actually   on 


146   FOOD  CONDITIONS,  PRESENT  AND  PROSPECTIVE 

the  ground — and  this  suggests  to  me  to  tell  you  more  of  the 
one  hundred  thousand  pesos  asked  by  Governor  Berlanga,  as 
first  related  in  my  letter  of  May  14. 

You  are  already  informed  of  the  action — the  raising  of 
twenty-five  thousand  pesos — by  the  foreign  colonies,  to  as- 
sist in  furnishing  the  100,000  asked  for,  as  ,well  as  the  agree- 
ment betv^een  Governor  B.  and  the  Consular  committee,  as 
to  how  the  money  should  be  handled. 

But  I  have  to  report  that  although  the  foreign  colonies 
raised,  without  delay,  the  portion  allotted  to  them,  and  that 
Governor  Berlanga  has  repeatedly  been  informed  of  the  fact 
that  we  were  ready  to  turn  our  quota  over  as  soon  as  the 
other  75,000  had  been  raised  by  the  Mexicans — he  has  never 
shown  the  least  interest  in  the  matter;  and  I  am  reliably 
informed  that  no  subscription  whatever  to  the  proposed  end 
has  been  attempted  among  the  Mexican  population. 

But  about  ten  days  ago,  I  saw  in  the  "Boletin  Militar," 
the  semi-official  daily  paper  of  this  city,  the  following,  which 
I  will  translate  from  the  Spanish :  ''The  Philanthropic  Aid 
Committee  has  been  distributing  food  stuflfs  to  the  families 
of  the  soldiers." 

As  to  who  had  to  do  with  the  naming  of  this  so-called 
"Philanthropic  Aid  Committee,"  I  do  not  know,  but  divine 
that  it  would  not  require  a  great  stretch  of  the  imagination  to 
guess  pretty  accurately! 

Considering  that  while  the  common  soldier  is  receiving 
one  peso  seventy-five  cents  daily,  and  the  ordinary  laborer 
only  fifty  cents,  taken  in  connection  with  the  fact  that  a  large 
number  cannot  find  work  at  any  price,  it  strikes  me  that  the 
"Philanthropic"  part  of  the  name  of  said  "A;d  Committee" 
could  have  been  omitted  without  doing  it,  the  said  committee, 
any  great  amount  of  injustice. 

I  should  not  like  to  believe  that  Governor  Berlanga  had 
the  relief  of  only  "the  families  of  the  soldiers"  in  view,  when 


FOOD  CONDITIONS,  PRESENT  AND  PROSPECTIVE    147 

he  appealel  to  the  general  public  for  that  100,000  pesos;  or 
that  the  agreement  made  with  the  Consular  committee — which 
he  could  not  very  well  refuse — had  taken  all  the  philanthropic 
spirit  out  of  his  system ! 

At  any  rate,  the  foreigners  are  yet  holding  their  sub- 
scriptions intact,  and  will  continue  to  do  so  until  what  they 
understand  to  have  been  the  original  purpose  of  the  philan- 
thropic understanding  is  complied  with. 

As  a  basis  of  a  report  on  the  present  and  prospective 
supplies  of  food  stuffs  in  this  State,  I  reproduce  here  below 
a  tabulated  estimate  as  made  by  the  State  Agricultural  Con- 
gress for  the  year  1912 — the  last  of  its  kind  published — which 
crop  was  considered  about  one-third  above  the  average:  ' 

Av.  Price, 

Total   Crop   in   Kilograms     100  kilos      Total  Value 
Products — 

Corn,  6  to  7  million  hectoliters $500.00  $22,750,000 

Frijol,  300,000  to  350,000  hectols 8.00  2,080,000 

Rice,  5,000  to  6,000  cgs.  of  138  kilos 12.00  88,000 

Wheat,  200,000  to  250,000  cgs.  of  16  kilos  10.00  3,800,000 

Barley,  80,000  to   100,000  hectoliters..  5.00  225,000 

Coffee,  100,000  quintals.  46  ks.  each 70.00  65,000 

Sugar,   14,000,000  to   15.000,000  kilos..  20.00  2,900,000 

Chile,  175,000  to  200,000  kilos 40.00  75,000 

Cotton,  300  to  1,000  quintals,  46  ks.  each  50.00  20,000 

Tobacco,  230.000  to  250.000  kilos 20.00  48,000 

Garbonzo,  225,000  to  250.000  cargas...  10.00  356,250 

Panocha,  50,000  to  60.000 12.00  759,000 

Alcohol,  30.000  to  100,000  cases 23.00  1,450,000 

Tequila,  100,000  to  120.000  barrels....  15.00  1,100,000 

Linseed,  400.000  to  450,000  kilos 8.00  34,000 

Peanuts,  29,000  to  35,000  hectoliters. . .  6.50  48,000 

Palm  Seed,  4,000  to  5,000  cargas 20.00  125,000 

From  the  best  informed  sources  on  the  subject,  the  crops 
of  last  year  were  70%  less  than  the  above;  and  the  crops  of 


148   FOOD  CONDITIONS,  PRESENT  AND  PROSPECTIVE 

this  year,  so  far — the  small  grain  crops — about  60%  less, 
while  prices,  on  an  average,  have  advanced  100%. 

The  acreage  of  small  grain,  of  this  and  last  year,  were 
approximately  the  same;  but  the  crops  of  this  Spring's  grow- 
ing are  much  better  than  those  of  last  year. 

As  to  the  balance  of  the  crops  for  this  year — practically 
all  crops  grown  here,  except  small  grain — it  is  difficult  to 
estimate,  for  conditions  have  progressively  grown  more  un- 
favorable, as  to  contemplated  acreage;  and  then  such  as  may 
be  attempted,  success  will  depend  much  upon  the  supply  of 
moisture  during  the  "rainy  season,"  upon  which  we  are  just 
now  entering.  It  is  also  difficult  to  estimate  the  amount  of 
actual  food  stuffs  in  the  State  at  any  given  time  under  the 
present  conditions,  for  want  of  communication  with  about 
two-third  of  the  outlying — and  some  of  the  most  productive — 
districts. 

During  the  Villa  occupation,  trainload  after  trainload  of 
provisions  were  sent  North.  These  shipments  were  taken 
from  every  accessible  pare  of  the  State  by  a  bare-faced  process 
of  confiscation — taking  entire  possession  of  the  haciendas, 
and  in  many  cases,  driving  the  poor  peons  off  the  premises — 
peons  whose  succession  of  forefathers  had  lived  on  them  for 
one  and  two  hundred  years — to  go  out  into  a  world  they  knew 
little,  or  nothing  about,  to  live  just  any  way  they  might,  or 
starve — and  littfe,  or  none,  did  it  matter  to  the  soldiery  as 
to  what  might  become  of  them — the  very  people  whose  inter- 
ests the  various  revolutionary  factions  are  professing  to  be 
fighting  for — ruining  this  country  for!  These  food  stuffs 
were  shipped  North  to  be  sold  to  the  already  impoverished 
people  of  those  sections  at  high  prices,  to  line  the  pockets  of 
the  revolutionary  chiefs. 

Thus — and  from  what  will  follow — it  can  be  seen  how, 
that  although  during  normal  times,  this  State  produces  an- 
nually more  than  double  the  amount  of  food  stuffs  necessary 


WHAT  IS  GOING  ON  IN  COUNTRY  DISTRICTS        149 

for  the  consumption  of  its  own  population,  it  is  hovering  so 
closely  onto  a  state  of  famine;  if  not  actually  for  the  want 
of  the  necessaries  of  life,  for  the  want  of  means  on  the  part 
of  the  poor  to  purchase  at  their  already  doubled — and  yet  to 
be  increased — prices. 

Nearly  all  the  horses  and  mules  of  the  various  haciendas 
have  been  commandeered  for  military  purposes ;  and  even  the 
ox,  that  was  wont  to  pull  the  Mexican  plow,  has  been  sacri- 
ficed ;  if  not  to  regale  the  inner  man  of  the  soldiery,  then  for 
their  hides  alone,  either  to  be  used  in  the  purchase  of  yet 
more  death-dealing  missiles,  or  to  swell  the  bank  accounts 
of  revolutionary  leaders,  in  banking  institutions  somewhere 
beyond  the  confines  of  their  own  country. 

The  spirit  of  wanton  destruction  that  has  characterized 
the  conduct  of  the  various  armed  gentry  camping  on  the 
haciendas  of  this  State,  has  been  most  abominable.  Not  sat- 
isfied with  the  commandeering  of  necessary  supplies  and  ani- 
mals, their  practice  has  been  to  throw  upon  the  ground  at 
each  feeding,  corn  or  other  grain  in  superabundance,  and  in 
such  extravagance,  that  there  was  trampled  in  the  earth  as 
much  again  as  their  beasts  consumed;  and  on  leaving,  de- 
stroying whatever  they  might  not  be  able  to  carry  away  with 
them. 

The  irrigated  landc  of  many  haciendas,  where  the  last 
winter's  crop  of  wheat,  rye  and  barley  were  growing,  have  so 
much  been  made  the  pasturage,  and  stamping  grounds  of  the 
animals  of  the  hordes  of  soldiers  encamped  upon  them,  that 
when  the  season  for  reaping  came,  the  fields  were  as  bare  as 
unto  so  much  waste  land. 

Along  nearly  all  of  the  frequented  thoroughfares  of  the 
State,  the  small  farmers — "rancheros" — have  abandoned  their 
homes,  and  taken  refuge  in  some  neighboring  village,  town 
or  city.     About  the  houses  of  these  neglected  farms  can  fre- 


150  CARRANZAISM   EXEMPLIFIED 

quently  be  seen  domestic  animals — especially  dogs — already 
reduced  to  walking  skeletons. 

Mr.  A.  W.  Earnest,  manager  of  the  American  Club  here, 
told  me  that  a  friend  of  his  recently  travelled  all  the  way 
from  Mascota  to  Ameca  on  horseback,  and  that  he  told  him 
that  everywhere  he  travelled,  he  had  found  such  as  is  related 
above  to  have  been  the  case  without  exception  whatever — that 
whereas,  in  ordinary  times,  these  small  farms  showed  signs 
of  cultivation,  and  growing-  crops  were  in  evidence  on  every 
hand,  now  there  cannot  be  seen  a  growing  thing  that  promises 
food  for  man  or  beast. 

Many  of  the  larger  farms — "haciendas" — plantations — 
have  also  been  abandoned  in  like  manner — in  some  cases  be- 
cause of  the  want  of  horses,  mules  and  oxen  to  work  them, 
and  in  others  because  their  owners  have  become  too  much 
disheartened  to  make  further  attempts  to  produce  crops  only 
to  see  them  abused  in  the  growing,  and  afterwards,  the  little 
that  might  be  garnered  after  maturity,  confiscated  by  the 
soldiers  of  one  or  the  other  of  the  revolutionary  factions,  or 
by  some  of  the  many  roving  bands  of  predatory  nondescripts. 

As  samples  of  the  senseless,  and  arbitrary  spirit  with 
which  these  pretended  defenders  of  the  people's  rights  are 
obsessed,  the  following  cases  will  serve : 

After  confiscating  all  the  coal  that  the  Guadalajara  Gas 
Company  had  either  here  or  in  transit — and  rendering  it  im- 
possible for  it  to  get  more — and  when  the  Company  found 
itself  reduced  to  the  necessity  of  resorting  to  wood  instead, 
so  paralyzing  transportation  that  even  woold  could  not  be 
obtained — and  incidentally  having  with  rifle  bullets  per- 
forated the  gas  tanks  by  allowing  soldiers  camped  near  them 
to  use  said  tanks  as  targets — permitting  same  even  after  en- 
ergetic protests  from  this  Consulate — thus  compelling  the 
Company  to  close  its  plant  entirely — our  very  intelligent,  if 
not  philosophical,  Acting  Governor,  Berlanga,  issued  positive 


I 


CARRANZAISM  EXEMPLIFIED  151 

orders  for  the  Gas  Company  to  resume  active  operations  at 
once,  under  heavy  penalties. 

Mr.  Wm.  Collignon,  a  miller  of  Guadalajara,  says:  "Al- 
though I  have  considerable  quantities  of  wheat  at  various 
haciendas  in  the  State  already  contracted  for,  I  find  I  cannot 
run  my  flour  mill  on  account  of  the  want  of  transportation 
facilities.  Flour  is  much  needed,  anl  although  I  am  more 
than  anxious  to  grind,  and  have  repeatedly  begged  the 
authorities  for  the  use  of  cars  to  bring  my  wheat  to  the  mill, 
without  any  avail  whatever — the  excuse  ever  being  that  all 
available  cars  were  needed  for  military  purposes — I  have  just 
been  served  with  a  written  order  to  start  my  mill  to  grinding 
again,  by  or  before  the  28th,  under  penalty  of  having  my 
property  confiscated  if  said  order  should  not  be  complied 
with !" 

Thus  matters  are — and  have  been  going  on  with  a  vim. 

Cars  and  trains  are  provided  in  abundance  for  carrying 
the  soldiery — including  their  women  and  children — back  and 
forth  over  the  country,  without  any  apparent  object  in  most 
cases — at  least  without  accomplishing  any  visible  good — 
thus,  and  in  many  other  ways,  hampering  and  paralyzing 
everything  else  so  as  to  cause  such  indispensible  industries 
as  gas  plants,  flour  milts,  etc.,  etc.,  to  close  down,  and  then 
ordering  their  owners,  under  confiscatory  penalties,  to  resume 
operations,  leads  me  to  remark,  that  for  ways  that  are  ob- 
tusely stupid,  these  late  so-called  Governments  are  peculiar; 
and  the  only  difference  that  I  have  been  able  to  discern  be- 
tween the  various  factions,  consists  in  that  each  in  turn  al- 
ways seems  to  be  worse  than  its  immediate  predecessor — 
and  they  have  already  changed  hands  several  times. 

I  will  try  to  keep  as  well  in  touch  with  the  economic 
situations  here  as  the  superlatively  confusing  circumstances 
will  permit,  to  the  end  that  I  may  be  able  to  furnish  you  as 
accurate  information  as  can  be  obtained. 


152  THE  PROLETARIAT  IN  THE  SADDLE 

June  28th,  1915. 
The  Proletariat  in  the  Saddle 

In  trying  to  convey  to  you  a  correct  idea  of  the  thorough 
ludicrousness  of  many  things  that  are  of  daily  observation 
hereabouts,  I  find  myself  handicapped  by  an  inability  to 
actually  photograph  some  of  the  scenes,  for  want  of  films — 
all  kodak  films  having  been  exhausted  long  ago — and  no 
means  of  getting  more. 

You  would  be  able  to  appreciate  the  humor  of  the  situa- 
tions that  are  constantly  in  evidence  here  now,  because  you 
knew  something  of  this  city  in  normal  times,  otherwise  you 
could  not. 

As  you  are  aware  Guadalajara  is  famed  as  the  most  cul- 
tured and  wealthy  city  in  proportion  to  its  population  in  the 
Republic  of  Mexico,  except,  perhaps,  Merida,  on  the  Gulf 
Coast. 

Whereas,  on  the  evenings  of  Sunday,  Thursday,  and  cer- 
tain feast  days,  the  central  piazza  of  the  city  was  the  scene 
of  animated  meetings — passings  and  repassings  of  the  resi- 
dent and  visiting  wealth  and  culture  of  both  sexes  and  all 
ages  formerly — where  the  gallant  caballeros  took  advantage 
of  the  numerous  opportunities  of  greeting  the  Sefioritas,  and 
by  sign  language  court  their  sweethearts;  while  the  female 
contingent  vied  with  each  other  in  displaying  the  richest,  and 
most  recent  Parisian  fashions,  and  by  winsome  smiles,  and 
eye-language  bewitcheries — at  which  they  are  adepts — in 
promenadings  in  opposite  directions  to  the  colums  of  the 
masculine  gentry — a  custom  universally  observed  in  Mexico 
— (doesn't  this  remind  you  of  old  times?) — now,  there  is  only 
to  be  seen  a  conglomerate  mixture  of  the  proletariat  element, 
from  the  passably  decently  clothed,  to  the  dirty  and  ragged, 
and — in  some  cases — half  naked  peons,  intermixed  with  the 
soldiery — officers  and  privates — and  the  promiscuous  women 


THE  PROLETARIAT  IN  THE  SADDLE  153 

they  carry  about  with  them.  Ever  since  the  beginning  of 
the  revolutions,  the  Piaza  de  Armes  has  been  practically 
abandoned  by  the  **gente  decente." 

When  one  now  hears  the  "honk"  of  an  automobile,  or  the 
tramp  of  carriage  horses  on  the  streets  of  the  city,  they  do 
not  expect  to  see  in  the  finer  vehicles  anything  but  officers 
of  various  grades,  and  in  the  public  coaches  and  the  older  and 
much  abused  autos,  loads  of  soldiers,  apparently  having  the 
time  of  their  lives,  along  with  just  any  kinds  of  women,  with- 
out regard  to  virtue,  race,  color,  or  previous  conditions  of 
servitude.  These  people  can  be  recognized  by  any  one  as  not 
having  been  accustomed  to  such  luxuries;  but  no  one  must 
turn  up  their  noses  at  them  for  fear  of  being  arrested  and 
punished  for  disrespect  to  the  noble  military — the  guardians 
and  protectors  of  the  people — protecting  them  by  robbing 
them  of  all  these  vehicles,  and  many  other  things! 

The  Fenix  Hotel,  where  I  lodge,  seems  to  be  the  most 
popular  resort  of  the  military  "aristocracy."  They  come  in 
at  all  hours,  and  have  to  be  served,  whether  according  to  the 
established  rules  of  the  house  or  not.  They  come  singly  and 
in  groups,  frequently  accompanied  by  women,  whom  they 
either  carry  with  them,  or  have  just  picked  up  from  the 
street — one  could  not  tell  the  difference — and  eat  and  drink 
to  their  fill,  in  the  finest  hotel  in  the  Republic;  and  while  I 
have  been  much  amused  at  the  table  manners — or  no  man- 
ners — in  evidence,  such  as  the  laying  of  knives  and  forks 
aside  and  eating  with  their  fingers,  and  posturing  at  the 
tables  in  such  a  medley  of  styles  that  nothing  but  snap-shot 
photographs  could  actually  represent;  I  must  say  that  their 
conduct  has  never  been  boisterous,  or  in  any  way  disrespect- 
ful towards  others,  and  has  been  consistently  free  of  drunken 
swaggerings. 

Street  disturbances  and  personal  brawls  are  of  remark- 


154  THE  PkOLETARIAt  IN  THE  SADDLE 

able  infrequency,  considering  the  goings  and  comings  of  so 
many  of  the  military. 

What  is  meant  by  the  rather  vulgar  expression  of  "mak- 
ing a  rough  house"  in  our  country  is  of  very  infrequent  oc- 
currence here. 

While  we  have  not  seen  in  this  city  as  queer  actions  as 
are  said  to  have  occurred  on  the  streets  of  Mexico  City — 
such  as  the  shooting  by  the  Zapatista  soldiery  of  the  horses 
which  were  pulling,  and  all  the  22  firemen  accompanying,  a 
fire  engine  while  a  run  was  being  made  to  a  burning  building, 
and  killing  them  all — yet  many  very  ridiculous  things  have 
happened  here;  and  even  though  tragical,  their  extreme  drol- 
lery renders  them  at  times  irresistably  laughbale. 

(It  was  told  that  the  Zapatista  soldiers  shot  and  killed 
those  firemen  and  horses  under  the  impression  that  the 
engine  which  was  being  rushed  to  a  fire  was  some  new  kind 
of  artillery  outfit,  and  as  they,  the  soldiers,  were  supposed 
to  be  on  duty  for  the  purpose  of  protecting  the  city,  they 
very  rightly — from  their  way  of  thinking,  if  they  really  think 
— proceeded  to  render  the  supposed  enemy  incapable  of 
harming  the  people  or  property  of  their  modern  Tenoch- 
titlan.) 

One  of  the  most  amusing  pictures  is  that  presented  on 
the  goings  out,  and  comings  in,  of  the  infantry.  There  are 
usually  from  one-half  to  three-fourths  as  many  women  as 
there  are  men.  I  do  not  know  how  they  march  in  the  country, 
but  in  going  through  the  city  the  soldiers  march  in  breasts  of 
two  to  four,  along  the  middle  of  the  street,  while  the  "solda- 
deras,"  (women,)  toddle  along  the  side-walks  on  either  side, 
carrying,  in  various  manners,  their  meager  cooking  outfits, 
such  bedding  (?)  as  they  may  have,  etc.,  etc.,  and  frequently 
cages  of  canary  birds,  parrots,  or  any  kind  of  domestic  pets 
that  might  suit  their  fancy.  Each  woman  tries  to  keep 
abreast  with  her  man,  whatever  the  weight  of  her  burden. 


I 


THE  PROLETARIAT  IN  THE  SADDLE  155 

and  if  by  any  chance  she  should  fall  behind,  at  once  strikes 
a  trot — somewhat  peculiar  to  themselves — which  is  kept  up 
until  she  is  again  abreast  with  the  one  in  the  column  of  the 
soldiery  that  she  tries  to  never  lose  sight  of.  The  ranks  of 
these  "soldaderas"  are  made  up  from  12  to  13  year  old  girls 
to  old  and  apparently  seasoned  women — but  a  sort  of  medium 
between  these  extreme.;  compose  the  larger  number. 

I  have  seen  quite  a  number  of  women  soldiers  marching 
with,  and  dressed  as,  the  masculine  soldiers.  On  the  plaza  at 
present  these  soldier  women  are  quite  an  attraction — always 
seem  to  be  in  god  humor,  and  to  be  very  popular  with  the 
men  soldiers  and  officers.  Sometimes  these  female  soldiers 
are  in  officer's  uniform,  usually  of  inferior  grade;  yet  I  did 
know  a  femade  Colonel,  from  Matzatclan,  who,  with  her — all 
male — staff,  sojourned  two  weeks  at  the  Fenix  Hotel  in  this 
city.  She  was  pretty  and  very  popular  with  all  the  army 
officers.  I  dubbed  her  the  "Juana  de  Arco,"  (Joan  of  Arc,)  of 
Mexico,  and  offered  to  give  her  a  write-up  if  she  would 
furnish  me  with  notes  and  photographs,  which  she  promised 
to  do  as  soon  as  she  returned  home.  But  someone  else  re- 
ported and  made  a  mess  of  the  case  in  one  of  the  American 
periodicals  soon  after. 

In  my  letter  dated  June  17,  I  told  of  the  sacking  of 
Ameca.  The  three  hundred  troops  under  Col.  Gayou  were 
strictly  infantry  when  they  left  Guadalajara,  but  returned 
about  a  week  ago,  converted  into  a  body  of  cavalry.  A  friend 
remarked  that  when  these  soldiers  left  Guadalajara,  about 
the  first  of  the  month,  they  were  barefooted,  or  only  wore 
guaraches,  but  that  they  all  returned  well  "shoed!"  One 
Captain  brought  back,  as  his  own  property,  five  head  of  good 
horses  and  an  abundance  of  other  loot.  He  offered  to  sell 
me  one  or  two  horses  very  cheap,  or  an  automobile,  if  I 
wanted  one! 

Recruiting  goes  on  with  more  success  than  ever.     There 


156  THE  PROLETARIAT  IN  THE  SADDLE 

are  several  recruiting  stations  in  the  city,  and  every  morning 
and  afternoon,  in  front  of  the  Fenix  Hotel,  the  new  recruits 
are  lined  up  to  receive  their  first  "haberas,"  (pay),  each 
recruit,  on  being  enlisted,  being  handed  ten  pesos,  which  is 
supposed  to  "keep"  him  five  days.  There  does  not  appear  to 
be  any  physical  examination  necessary,  nor  is  there  any  at- 
tention paid  to  age.  As  so  many  people  have  been  thrown 
out  of  employment — especially  during  the  past  few  months — 
serving  in  the  ranks  of  the  army  is  about  the  only  thing  that 
offers  them  visible  means  of  support — hence  such  abundance 
of  material. 

Coming  from  a  conference  with  Acting  Governor  Ber- 
langa  the  other  day,  and  after  having  to  pick  my  way,  both 
in  going  and  coming,  by  stepping  over  guns,  cartridge  belts, 
the  sprawling  legs  of  soldiers,  and  sometimes  of  women  and 
children,  in  the  patio  of  the  building,  on  finally  emerging,  I 
noticed  that  the  sentrie?  on  either  side  of  the  entrance  door 
had  been  changed  since  1  had  gone  up  stairs;  and  although 
I  had  frequently  noticed  mere  boys  among  the  soldiery,  I 
was  especially  struck  with  the  youthful  appearance  of  these 
two  sentries,  and  halted  long  enough  to  question  them  a  lit- 
tle. One  said  that  he  was  11,  and  the  other  12  years  of  age, 
and  neither  looked  a  day  older.  They  were  both  from  Guad- 
alajara and  had  enlisted  some  three  months  before.  They 
were  covered  with  well  filled  cartridge  belts,  and  each,  with 
pistols  to  his  side  and  a  mauser  in  hand,  suggested  real  am- 
bulatory military  magazines  in  miniature. 


CIVILIANS  HOPING  TO   BE   SAVED  157 

CHAPTER  TWENTY-ONE 

CARRANZA  -  DIEGUEZ      ADMINISTRATION      CON- 
TINUED, V^ITHOUT   BETTERMENT 

July  21st,  1915. 
Present  Political  Situation  Here 

There  has  not  been  any  material  change  in  the  political 
situation  here  from  that  outlined  in  my  former  recent  letters 
on  that  subject. 

Ever  since  the  publication  of  President  Wilson's  pro- 
clamation to  the  revolutionary  chiefs,  the  political  atmosphere 
hereabouts  has  been  surcharged  with  all  kinds  of  extravagant 
rumors. 

Being  practically  entirely  cut  oflf  from  communication 
with  the  outside  world  for  more  than  three  months,  the  rumor 
factories  have  been  running  on  more  than  double  shift  time, 
and  to  have  so  multiplied  in  number,  that  every  one  seems  to 
have  been  converted  into  so  many  little  mills,  grinding  out 
rumors  to  their  individual  liking,  or  announce  as  verities 
such  as  they  themselves  would  be  glad  to  see  consummated. 

Especially  has  this  been  the  case  with  regard  to  many 
sensational — but  wholly  unfounded — reports  as  to  what  in- 
formation has  been,  and  is  being  received,  at  this  Consulate 
from  Washington. 

After  going  through  with  the  usual  paroxyisms  that  Mex- 
icans usually  do  when  in  high  states  of  sentimental  exaltation 
— as  they  proceeded  to  do  following  the  reading  of  President 
Wilson's  proclamation — they  have  lapsed  back  into  a  state  of 
"vigilant  procrastination" — all  the  while  hoping  that  Wash- 
ington may  find  some  way  to  remedy  the  situation  for  them ! 
It  does  not  seem  to  occur  to  these  people  that  it  is  their  duty 
to  try  to  get  together  and  do  something  themselves  for  their 
country's  good. 


158        CONFISCATION  OF  ALL  CHURCH   PROPERTY 

Speculations  are  rite  as  to  what  the  Washington  Goven 
ment  is  going  to  do;  and  I  have  frequently  been  asked  whal 
President  Wilson  meant  by  "soon"  or  "in  a  short  time."  I 
have  answered  that  the  meaning,  as  to  the  length  of  time  in 
such  expressions,  depended  upon  the  object  referred  to,  as, 
for  instance,  that  in  the  digging  of  a  Panama  Canal,  ten  years 
would  be  a  relatively  short  time  in  which  to  complete  the 
work,  while  to  dig  a  ditch  2  feet  wide  by  3  feet  deep,  across 
d  level  acre  of  ground,  two  weeks  might  be  considered  a  long 
time  for  accomplishing  the  job;  and  that — correlarily  speak- 
ing— as  Mexico  was  a  pretty  large  country,  with  a  population 
of  about  17,000,000  people,  I  would,  with  this,  leave  the  an- 
swer to  the  interrogator  to  work  out  for  himself. 

Also,  many  questions  as  to  who,  or  what  faction,  would 
finally  be  recognized;  and  especially  lately,  while  (jcneral 
Obregon  seems  to  be  driving  General  Villa  farther  and 
farther  North — if  that  fact  wouldn't  force  Washington  to 
recognize  the  Constitutionalistas?  I  have  had  to  answer  that 
President  Wilson  had  never  taken  me  into  his  confidence — 
hence  how  could  I  know !  although,  inwardly  feeling  at  the 
same  time,  that  if  ever  the  Constitutionalistas  should  be  rec- 
ognized, that  beforehand,  "el  Jefe  en  general  de  las  fuerzas 
Constitutionalistas  y  encargado  de  los  poderes  ejecutetivos," 
and  his  Sancho  Panzas,  would  have  to  come  down  consider- 
ably from  their  wooden  horse. 

July  21st,  1915. 

Confiscating  Everything  Belonging  to  the  Church,  that  can 

be  Found 

On  the  25th  day  of  June,  a  young  gentleman  came  to 
this  Consulate  and  told  me  that  Padre  Aspeitia  Palomar 
wished  very  much  to  see  me,  and  asked  me  when  and  where 
he  could  do  so.     Ascertaining  that  the  Padre  was  keeping 


PADRE  ASPEITA  PALOMAR'S  COMPLAINT  159 

himself  well  in-doors,  to  avoid  further  difficulties  with  the 
military,  I  promised  to  go  to  his  lodgings. 

Knowing  Padre  Aspeitia  Palomar  as  I  did,  I  felt  sure 
that  he  at  least  thought  he  had  something  important  to  talk 
over  with,  or  confide  to  me. 

Ever  since  my  residence  here,  Padre  Palomar  has  been 
the  Vicar  General  of  this  Archdiocese.  I  had  also  known 
Archbishop  Ortiz  very  well,  who  died  about  two  years  ago, 
but  have  never  met  his  successor,  Archbishop  Jimenez,  who 
fled  from  Guadalajara  early  last  year,  going  first  to  Havana, 
and  then  to  the  United  States,  carrying  with  him,  it  is 
thougt,  much  of  the  Churche's  valuables  in  the  form  of  jewel- 
ry, etc. 

I  remember  that  when  Secretary  Root  was  here,  to  have 
seen  a  wonderfully  rich  display  of  jewelry  in  one  of  the  side- 
rooms  of  the  Cathedral,  which  had  been  left  to  it  by  religious 
devotees — and  from  its  appearance,  principally  by  women.  I 
was  told  by  Padre  Ciruela  on  that  occasion,  that  although  the 
display  on  exhibition  was  valued  at  over  $2,500,000.00,  they 
did  not  represent  the  half  of  such  valuables  that  the  Church 
had  stored  in  the  vaults  of  the  Cathedral ! 

When  the  Carranza  forces  under  General  Obregon 
reached  Guadalajara,  (8th  of  July,  1914,)  Padre  Aspeira  Palo- 
mar was  soon  afterwaid,  (as  was  the  case  with  many  other 
priests,)  arrested  and  imprisoned,  and  was  kept  incarcerated 
about  six  months.  Whether  he  bought  his  liberty — as  was, 
and  is  yet,  the  custom — I  am  not  advised,  but  would  guess 
that  he  must  have  paid  quite  a  snug  sum. 

Therefore,  as  Padre  Palomar  was  next  in  Church  author- 
ity to  the  Archbishop,  it  would  follow  that  he  must  have  been 
hounded  after  by  the  military  money  hunters  to  no  small 
extent  during  the  past  year,  and  forced  to  hide,  continually. 

When  I  called,  he  told  me  that  he  wanted  me  to  inform 
Washington  of  his  most  recent  discomfiture — the  confiscation 


160  PADRE  ASPEITA   PALOMAR'S   COMPLAINT 

of  something  over  one  and  one-half  million  pesos,  in  the  form 
of  promissory  notes  and  mortgages.  ^B 

I  asked  him  to  whom  the  securities  belonged,  and  he  tola 
me  that  the  securities  in  question  were  all  Church  property, 
made  payable  to  different  priests,  the  main  part  of  them  being 
in  his,  Padre  Palomar^s  favor. 

When  asked  if  he  thought  the  securities  might  be  re- 
claimed, he  answered  "no,"  adding,  "except  that  those  in 
whose  favor  the  securities  had  been  made  payable  could 
evade  being  caught  and  forced  to  transfer  them! 

When  asked  if  he  intended  employing  some  outside  per- 
son, such  as  a  lawyer,  to  try  to  protect  the  interests  in  ques- 
tion, he  threw  up  his  hands  in  emphasis  to  the  absurdity  of 
such  a  thought. 

I  finally  asked  him  what  he  wished  I  should  communi- 
cate to  Washington.  He  answered,  "only  the  bare  facts — I 
will  send  them  to  you  in  a  few  days."  In  about  ten  days  after 
this  interview,  the  same  young  man  who  had  first  called, 
brought  me  a  paper,  on  which  was  written  in  Spanish,  the 
following,  translated  into  English : 

"On  the  19th  of  June,  house  No ,  Pedro  Moreno 

Street,  the  same  being  the  residence  of  Don  Miguel  Barragan, 
was  searched  by  the  Carranza  soldiers,  who  took  possession 
of  instruments  of  writing,  such  as  promissory  notes  and  mort- 
gages, which  the  authorities  claimed  were  compromising 
documents.  Senor  Barragan  was  thrown  into  prison,  and 
after  three  days  of  "incomunicado,"  was  put  at  liberty.  The 
priests  in  whose  favor  these  securitnes  were  drawn,  are  all  in 
hiding,  and  are  being  actively  hunted  by  the  minions  of  the 
present  Government.  A  well  posted  priest  thinks  that  the 
said  confiscated  securities  represented  more  than  one  and 
one-half  million  pesos.  They  were  the  property  of  the 
Church." 


PADRE  ASPEITA   PALOMAR'S  COMPLAINT  161 

The  note  handed  to  me  was  unsigned,  and  evidently  had 
been  written  in  an  attemptedly  disguised  hand. 

And  thus  matters  are  progressing — or  retrogressing — 
according  to  ones  point  of  view. 

Churchmen  claim  persecution  in  this  and  similar  cases, 
with  as  much  vehemence  as  if  their  lives  were  being  jeopard- 
ized. 

As  to  their  justification  for  such  claims — especially  when 
the  Mexican  constitution  of  1857  is  taken  into  consideration 
' — it  is  not,  as  I  construe  it,  the  function  of  an  humble  Consu- 
lar officer  to  decide. 

Padre  Aspeitia  Palomar,  Vicar-General  of  the  Guadala- 
jara Archdiocese,  asked  me  to  communicate  above  facts  to 
Washington,  and  I  did  so — adding  some  side-lights  by  the 
way,  even  at  the  risk  of  prolixity — as  fairly  and  clearly  as  the 
case  would  permit.  But  why  he  wanted  this  done,  I  could 
not  guess.  What  had  Wasington  to  do  with  such  matters? 
Perhaps  Padre  Palomar  did  not  know  how  little  Washington 
is  caring  for  the  interests  of  its  own  people  down  in  Mexico 
during  these  times. 


162  VILLISTAS  NOT  YET  VANQUISHED 


CHAPTER  TWENTY-TWO 

CARRANZA  -  DIEGUEZ      ADMINISTRATION       CON- 
TINUED—THE   READER    MAY    JUDGE    AS    TO 
WHETHER  THERE  HAS  BEEN  ANY  IMPROVE- 
MENT AND  OF  WHAT  IT  MAY  CONSIST 

July  29th,  1915. 

A   Bird's  Eye   Glimpse   of  Present   Politico-Economic   Con- 
ditions 

Although  the  Carrancistas  are  in  possession  of  Guadala- 
jara, the  rest  of  the  State  of  Jalisco,  except  along  the  railroad 
lines  from  here  to  Irapuato  and  Manzanillo,  is  occupied  by 
the  Villistas.  Thus  the  Villistas  are  everywhere — from  with- 
in ten  to  twenty  miles  of  this  city,  except  as  stated. 

Trains  from  Guadalajara  to  Manzanillo  have  been  trying 
to  run  from  two  to  three  times  a  week  only,  while  we  have 
not  had  any  regular  trains  to  or  from  Irapuato  for  nearly  a 
month. 

I  should  say  that  about  four-fifths  of  the  territory  com- 
posing this  State  is  dominated  by  the  Villistas;  and  the  Car- 
rancistas do  not  seem  to  be  making  any  effort  to  dispossess 
them,  or  the  Villistas  to  try  to  take  any  one  place  now  under 
the  control  of  the  Carrancistas. 

From  the  best  information  that  I  can  gather,  this  propor- 
tion holds  approximately  the  same  throughout  the  greater 
part  of  the  Republic. 

There  can  be  no  question  that  the  sympathies  of  the 
civilian  element  here  are  almost  unanimously  in  favor  of  the 
Villistas;  and  I  am  told  that  this  is  the  case  pretty  nearly 
everywhere  else  also. 

The  Church  element,  while  not  really  partisans  of  either 


A  TALK  WITH  ACTING  GOVERNOR  BERLANGA       163 

faction,  are  thoroughly  decided  that  the  Villistas  are  by  odds 
the  least  of  the  two  evils,  as  far  as  their  troubled  and  disor- 
ganized affairs  are  concerned. 

August  30,  1915. 
Something  of  My  Impressions  After  a  Casual  Talk  with  Act- 
ing Governor  Berlanga 

I  was  alone  with  Governor  Berlanga  for  a  short  time  last 
night,  when  I  took  up  the  subject  of  the  late  Washington 
note  to  the  Mexican  Officials  with  him  and  took  occasion  to 
tell  him  that  we  were  all  hoping  and  praying  that  some  solu- 
tion might  be  found  which  would  restore  early  peace  to  these 
people. 

I  then  referred  to  the  position  that  most  of  the  officials 
pretended  to  maintain,  with  reference  to  outsiders  meddling 
with  the  internal  affairs  of  Mexico;  and  incidentally  asked 
him  if  he  did  not  remember  what  I  said  to  General  Dieguez 
when  the  Consular  Corps  called  on  him  during  the  reign  of 
terror  here,  and  especially  as  to  what  I  said  as  to  the  utter 
futility  on  the  part  of  any  man  or  party  trying  to  set  up  a 
Government  in  Mexico  in  such  a  manner  as  to  cause  the 
Washington  Government  to  decline  to  give  them  friendly 
recognition.  He  said  he  remembered.  Then  I  asked  him  why, 
in  view  of  such  a  fact,  would  any  one  down  here  try  to  form 
a  Government  that  might  reasonably  be  sure  of  meeting  such 
a  fate? 

**Now,"  said  I,  "you  people  seem  very  much  wedded  to 
the  idea  of  maintaining  General  Carranza  as  your  leader,  and 
as  the  right  person  to  head  a  provisional  Government ;  and  it 
also  seems  that  General  Carranza  is  bent  towards  the  same 
end.  But  suppose  this  should  be  done  and  fail  to  receive 
friendly  recognition  from  the  Washington  Government — what 
then? — You  could  not  borrow  a  dollar  in  any  market  of  the 
world,  which  you  very  well    know,    and    which    your    arch 


164      A  TALK  WITH  ACTING  GOVERNOR  BERLANGA 

enemy,  General  Huerta,  found  to  be  the  case  to  his  very  great 
discomfiture,  and  with  incalculably  injurious  results  to  his 
country. 

"Personal  ambitions  are  proper,  in  their  place;  but  when 
one's  personal  ambitions  lead  him  to  jeopardize  the  welfare 
and  happiness  of  a  whole  nation — and  these  his  own  people — 
to  satisfy  such  ambitions,  what  might  be  though  of  the 
patriotism  of  such  an  one — the  patriotism  we  hear  so  much 
talked  about  in  this  country?" 

I  then  recounted  to  him  the  case  of  Samuel  J.  Tilden — of 
his  candidacy  for  the  office  of  President  of  the  United  States 
— and  told  of  his  answer  to  some  of  his  partisans  after  being 
urged  by  them  to  make  a  fight  for  the  office,  to  which  he 
knew  he  had  been  fairly  elected — urged  to  do  so  even  after 
the  celebrated  Electoral  Commissions  decision  commonly 
known  as  the  "Seven  to  Eight  on  every  count" — (seven  Dem- 
ocrats to  eight  Republicans),  and  added,  "what  you  Mexicans, 
in  my  opinion,  are  most  in  need  of  at  present,  is  a  modicum 
of  Samuel  J.  Tilden  Patriotism." 

Then  I  suggested  that  inasmuch  as  they  all  must  know, 
sooner  or  later,  that  they  would  have  to  reckon  with  Wash- 
ington in  the  matter  of  establishing  a  Government,  the  ad- 
visability of  their  taking  up  the  subject  in  both  a  philosophical 
and  patriotic  manner  at  once,  and  come  to  some  agreement — 
laying  aside  the  satisfying  of  every  ambition  except  that  of 
restoring  permanent  peace  and  prosperity  to  the  country — 
even  at  the  sacrifice  of  the  political  hopes  of  any  one,  two  or 
three  individuals — putting  any  one  aside  who  might  stand  in 
the  way  of  such  a  consummation. 

But  what  good  could  come  out  of  this,  unless  others 
were  similarly  reached — and  by  those  duly  authorized  by  the 
Washington  Government? 

Perhaps  my  personal  anxiety  over  seeing  this  "Mexican 
Question"   settled  beyond   question,  and   without    the    sem- 


A  TALK  WITH  ACTING  GOVERNOR  BERLANGA       165 

blance  of  armed  intervention,  has  already  led  me  too  far  in 
trying  to  "steer"  Washington  in  the  way  it  should  go  in  this 
matter. 

I  made  a  bad  blunder  in  sending  an  account  of  my  con- 
versation with  Governor  Berlanga  to  the  Department  of  State 
— it  was  written  on  the  eve  of  the  recognition  of  Carranza  by 
the  Washington  Government — and  I  apprehend  it  did  not 
reach  its  destination  until  after  said  "recognition"  was  an- 
nounced ! 

NOTE: — But  with  the  full  recognition,  and  moral  sup- 
port, that  Washington  has  given  the  so-called  Carranza  Gov- 
ernment— now  over  four  years  since — it  has  proved  a  rank 
failure,  so  far. 

On  another  occasion,  (see  letter  of  Sept.  30),  when  I  ex- 
pressed myself  as  fearful  that  Seiior  Carranza  might  prove  a 
failure  on  account  of  not  being  able  to  borrow  the  necessary 
money  with  which  to  rehabilitate  the  country,  I  was  asked 
why  I  thought  that  Carranza  would  not  be  able  to  borrow 
money  after  he  should  have  been  recognized  by  Washington. 

I  said  plainly  that  I  did  not  think  any  shrewd  financiers 
would  lend  money  to  a  Government  which  had  as  its  chief 
executive  a  person  who  could  be  guilty  of  issuing  such  finan- 
cial edicts  as  Carranza  had  repeatedly  done — that  the  ink  had 
hardly  dried  on  any  of  his  published  decrees  before  the  finan- 
ciers of  Wall  street  were  aware  of  it — as  well  as  many  other 
edicts  which  had  been  published — and  that  according  to  my 
Arithmetic,  that  that  class  of  men  were  not  hunting  any  such 
long  chances  on  which  to  risk  their  capital. 

But  the  Mexicans  all  seemed  to  think  th^t  the  Carranza 
Government  would  be  enabled  to  literally  swim  in  money  bor- 
rowed from  foreign  capitalists — once  it  was  recognized  by 
Washington ! 

I  told  them  that  if  that  was  what  they  were  waiting  for. 


166        ARMED  ATTACK  ON  HOUSE  OF  A  BRITISHER 

they  had  just  as  well  dismiss  school  and  all  go  back  to  their 
old  jobs! 

They  couldn't  believe  it. 

NOTE: — We  wonder  if  they  believe  it  now? 

And  I  frequently  wonder  yet,  what  Washington  thinks 
of  its  fine  piece  of  work  in  its  recognition  of  the  so-called  Car- 
ranza  Government  (  ?)  ! 

I  was  well  convinced  at  the  time — in  my  own  mind,  of 
course — that  the  Washington  Administration  was  adopting  a 
very  awkward  makeshift  in  trying  to  extricate  itself  from 
the  results  of  its  stumbling — blundering  Mexican  policy,  and 
I  believe  it  yet — who  wouldn't  now? 

September  17th,  1915. 
Attack  on  American  Citizen  J.  E.  Barton,  and  British  Subject, 
Edward  Fitzpatrick  and  Family,  Wherein  Fitzpatrick 
Was  Killed,  and  All  Robbed  of  Everything 

The  following  account  will  serve  to  give  you  a  fair  idea 
as  to  just  about  how  much  confidence  may  be  placed  in  the 
claims  of  the  Carrancistas  as  to  their  domination  of  territory, 
and  the  protection  they  are  affording  the  people. 

On  the  9th  of  this  month,  Doctor  George  Purnell,  mining 
partner  of  J.  E.  Barton,  came  to  me  with  the  following  tele- 
gram:  "Etzatlan,  Sept.  8,  1915.  Dr.  G.  E.  Purnell,  Guadala- 
jara. Mozo  here  with  letter  for  you  from  J.  E.  Barton  says: 
"House  attacked  last  Sunday,  5th.  Ed.  Fitzpatrick  killed — 
Barton  in  desperate  situation — no  money  or  clothes — does  not 
think  he  can  get  away — asks  for  any  possible  assistance.  Am 
forwarding  letter  to  you.  Will  you  advise  American  Consul?" 
(Signed)  J.  H.  Howard. 

I  went  at  once  to  see  the  Commandante  Militar  of  the 
State,  and  he  informed  me  that  they  could  not  do  anything  in 
the  case  at  present,  as  all  that  section  of  country  where  the 
tragedy  had  taken  place  was  under  the  control  of  Villistas — 


EFFORTS  TO  RESCUE  BARTON  AND  FITZPATRICKS  167 

that  there  were  not  over  four  thousand  Carrancista  soldiers 
in  the  entire  State,  etc.,  etc. 

The  place  where  the  tragedy  occurred  is  about  ten  hours 
by  horseback  from  Tula. 

I  then  sent  Mr.  Howard  the  following  telegram:  "Send 
any  force  that  you  can  get  by  telephone  or  otherwise,  to  bring 
Barton  and  the  Fitzpatrick  to  safety." 

On  the  evening  of  the  same  day,  Mr.  Howard  answered : 
"Your  wire.  No  forces  in  this  neighborhood.  Assistance 
should  be  from  Ameca.  Get  Government  to  send  instructions 
to  Ameca.  All  I  can  do  is  to  send  money.  One  of  Fitzpat- 
rick's  daughters  here,  for  which  reason  word  was  sent  here. 
Barton  is  in  San  Antonio,  near  Ayutla,  75  miles  directly  South 
of  Ameca." 

Other  telegrams  and  letters  were  exchanged  about  this 
case ;  we  omit  giving  more, — but  will  come  at  once  to  the  de- 
noument : 

A  Mr.  Percy  being  in  Guadalajara  at  the  time,  and  know- 
ing that  a  Mr.  George  McCormick  was  then  with,  and  a 
friend  of  General  Julian  del  Real,  a  Villista,  camping  near 
Ameca,  we  asked  said  Mr.  Percy,  who  was  to  go  to  Ameca  on 
the  10th,  to  reach  McCormick  by  messenger,  and  through  him 
have  the  Villista  General,  Julian  del  Real,  send  a  sufficient 
body  of  his  troops  to  brng  Barton  and  the  Fitzpatricks  out. 

General  Real  responded  at  once ;  and  yesterday,  16th,  Mr. 
Barton  arrived  at  Guadalajara,  the  Fitzpatricks  remaining  in 
Ameca.  (The  Town  of  Ameca  was  at  the  time  in  the  hands  of 
the  Carrancistas.) 

Mr.  Barton  told  me  that  General  Real's  rescue  party 
treated  them  well — that  the  General  himself  came  to  within 
two  blocks  of  the  central  plaza  of  Ameca  with  them,  and  even 
offered  to  conduct  them  to  their  hotel,  but  that  he  persuaded 
the  General  to  turn  back. 

Mr.  Barton  also  said  that  the  mozos  whom  Mr.  Howard 


168  BARTON  AND  FITZPATRICKS  RESCUED 

sent,  arrived  with  the  300  pesos,  and  that  it  was  very  fortu- 
nate, as  it  was  much  needed,  and  facilitated  their  escape  in 
more  ways  than  one. 

Mr.  Barton  also  declared,  that  the  chief  of  the  attacking 
party  had  a  Carrancista  commission,  signed  by  Coronel  Elias 
Saldana,  Jefe  in  charge  at  Ameca. 

We  think  we  were  entirely  justified  in  calling  on  the 
Villistas  for  help  in  the  above  contingency,  for  the  Carran- 
cistas  had  pretended  an  inability  to  do  anything.  Indeed,  I 
felt  we  were  right  in  adopting  any  measure — Carranza  or  no 
Carranza,  or  any  other  pretended  authority — that  promised  to 
rescue  those  people — an  American  citizen,  an  English  lady 
and  her  two  daughters,  aged  respectively  16  and  20  years. 


SHIPPING  FOOD  STUFFS  TO  THE  UNITED  STATES    169 


CHAPTER  TWENTY-THREE 

CONTINUATION     CARRANZA-DIEGUEZ     ADMINIS- 
TRATION: INTRODUCING  SOME  SIDE  LIGHTS 

September  17th  1915. 
Shipping  Food  Stuffs  from  Here  to  the  United  States 

On  the  4th  of  September,  I  certified  to  an  invoice,  and 
on  the  15th  another,  which  were  for  shipments  to  New  York 
of  as  much  as  279,616  pounds  of  Mexican  garbanzos,  valued 
here,  in  U.  S.  currency,  at  $29,761.50 — being  10c  per  pound — 
or  20c  in  Mexican  money — 59,523.00  pesos  I 

Said  invoices  were  taken  out  by  Guillermo  Collignon  & 
Co.,  but  I  assure  you  that  this  firm — or  any  other  firm  or  in- 
dividual— would  not  be  permitted,  for  their  own  account,  to 
do  such  a  thing  in  the  face  of  present  food  conditions,  with- 
out not  only  the  consent  and  connivance,  but  a  particeps 
criminis  partnership  on  the  Part  of  the  State  authorities  here. 

Taking  all  in  all,  to  my  mind,  the  shipment  of  food  stuffs 
from  here  under  the  present  circumstances,  is  the  crowning 
outrage  of  the  many  of  which  I  have  had  knowledge;  and  I 
have  no  doubt  whatever  but  that  these  shipments  will  be  fol- 
lowed by  others — and  just  as  long  as  anything  can  be  scraped 
together  that  will  sell  for  gold  in  the  foreign  markets — to 
further  enrich  these  so-called  champions  of  the  causes  of  the 
poor;  and  at  a  time  when  these  same  poor  are  starving  for 
want  of  these  very  articles  of  food,  right  in  sight — in  fact 
under  the  very  noses — of  their  pseudo-champions! 

Just  as  I  had  finished  the  above,  a  clerk  from  Guillermo 
Collignon  &  Co.,  came  to  the  Consulate  to  get  more  forms  for 
making  out  invoices.     I  asked  him  if  they  were  going  to  ship 


170  JOSEPH  MULHALL'S  STATEMENT 

more  garbanzos,  and  he  answered:  "Yes;  as  soon  as  we  can 
get  cars." 

I  then  expressed  surprise  at  their  being  permitted  to  ship 
food  stuffs  out,  unless  they  might  be  doing  it  for  Government 
officials.  He  answered,  "Asi  lo  es  Seiior."  (It  is  that  way, 
Sir)  or  (that  is  th'e  way  of  it,  Sir). 

September  24th,  1915. 

Joseph  Mulhairs  Statement 

I  have  to  say  that  out  of  the  many  similar  cases  which  I 
could  relate,  of  the  straightened  condition  of  the  poor  in  out- 
lying districts,  I  will  only  trouble  you  with  the  following,  as 
told  to  me  by  American  citizen,  Joseph  Mulhall,  this  morn- 
ing: 

"Some  of  my  former  employees  from  Amatlan,  in  the  ter- 
ritory of  Tepic,  just  across  the  dividing  line  from  State  of 
Jalisco,  came  in  last  night,  and  said  that  if  I  did  not  give  them 
work,  they  were  bound  to  starve." 

(Mr.  Mulhall  contemplated  building  a  road  to  his  mine 
to  enable  him  to  get  in  machinery — some  already  in  Guadala- 
jara, and  some  tied  up  at  El  Paso — as  soon  as  conditions 
would  permit.) 

"These  men  told  me  that  the  people  out  there  would  be 
actually  starving  now,  if  it  were  not  for  the  crop  of  roasting 
ears  in  the  fields,  which  the  people  were  pulling  to  eat,  instead 
of  leaving  it  to  ripen ;  and  that  this  was  so  much  the  case  that 
there  would  not  be  any  corn  to  be  gathered  at  the  usual  har- 
vest time." 

"They  promised  that  if  I  would  do  this,  and  allow  them 
one  peso  per  day  that  they  would  do  me  good  and  faithful 
work.  They  said  that  they  would  thus  be  enabled  to  live,  as 
they  could  send  elsewhere  for  corn  and  beans." 

"I  gave  them  800  pesos;  and  Mrs.  Mulhall  divided  the 
bills  into  small  bulks,  and  sewed  them  in  the  clothing  of  the 


JOSEPH  MULHALL'S  STATEMENT  171 

peons  in  a  manner  that  if  held  up  on  their  way  back,  the 
money  would  scarcely  be  found. 

*'I  also  bought  tools  for  twenty-five  laborers,  and  after 
they  get  the  work  well  under  way,  I  will  increase  the  number 
of  workmen  to  fifty. 

"I  have  known  these  men  a  long  time,  and  am  sure  they 
will  keep  their  promise  faithfully — and  then  I  need  the  road. 

"I  shall  not  go  back  to  the  mine  myself  until  it  is  safer, 
but  will  keep  these  men  at  work  by  some  of  them  coming 
from  time  to  time  for  more  money." 

Then  Mr.  Mulhall  related  this: 

"Don  Rosalio  Ruiz,  a  prominent  merchant  of  this  city, 
whose  business  is  located  at  the  corner  of  Avanida  Colon 
and  Prisciliano  Sanchez — just  across  from  the  postoffice — 
gave  a  picnic  to  about  a  hundred  and  fifty  of  his  friends — 
among  them  some  of  the  best  people  of  Guadalajara — two 
Sundays  ago,  at  a  hacienda  building,  about  4  miles  S.  W. 
of  this  city. 

"During  the  forenoon,  while  the  guests  were  dancing,  a 
band  of  Carrancistas  dropped  in  on  them,  robbed  them  of 
jewelry,  etc.,  and  held  the  whole  crowd  for  ransom  until 
Sefior  Ruiz  could  come  in  and  send  back  by  one  of  the  sol- 
diers 10,000.00  pesos,  in  bank  bills ;  under  threats  of  making 
"soldaderas"  qf  the  young  lady  contingent  of  the  merry- 
makers,if  these  demands  were  not  complied  with!  Sefior 
Ruiz  complied,  of  course. 

"About  one-half  of  Sefior  Ruiz's  guests  were  females; 
and  of  these  latter,  there  were  some  twenty-five  or  thirty  very 
pretty  Sefioritas. 

"While  waiting  for  the  money  messenger  to  come  back, 
the  soldiers  ate  up  all  the  food — and  drank  all  the  drinkables 
— that  had  been  brought  along  for  the  guests. 

"A  pathetic  incident  occurred  in  the  meantime — one  of 
the  five  young  women  whom  the  soldiers  had  recently  ab- 


172  NAKEDNESS  AMONG  POOR— YOUTHFUL  SOLDIERS 

ducted  from  surrounding  ranches,  stepped  up  to  the  chief  of 
the  band  and  said :  'Senor  Jefe,  why  do  you  not  let  us  ugly, 
dark  colored  girls  go  back  to  our  homes,  and  take  in  our 
stead  some  of  these  pretty,  white-skinned  Sefioritas?' 

"But  the  robbers  kept  the  dark  "rancheras,"  took  the 
money,  and  allowed  the  pretty,  fair-complexioned  Senoritas 
to  go  home." 

September  25th,  1915. 

Nakedness  Among  the  Poor  in  the  Country  Districts 

Numerous  people  have  described  to  me  lately  the  plight 
of  the  poor  peons  in  the  country  districts,  and  the  following, 
which  was  related  to  me  by  Seiior  Javier  Quevedo,  a  reliable 
gentleman,  who  speaks  English  well,  will  illustrate: 

"I  was  out  between  San  Pedro  and  Tonela  yesterday,  to 
look  after  some  properties  belonging  to  an  English  friend  of 
mine. 

"You  know  that  San  Pedro  is  three  miles  out,  reached  by 
electric  car  line,  and  Tonela  is  four  miles  beyond  San  Pedro. 

"I  saw  a  number  of  peons  working  in  their  crops,  some 
wearing  only  drawers,  and  many  more  with  not  a  stitch  of 
clothing  on  their  persons,  except  a  breech-clout  around  their 
loins. 

"I  asked  them  the  reason  of  this  nakedness,  and  they  an- 
swered that  they  were  receiving  in  wages  (those  who  worked 
for  hire),  and  for  their  vegetables,  but  little  more  than  when 
'manta'  (the  name  of  a  Mexican  white  cotton  cloth — very 
much  like  ordinary  domestic — with  which  these  people  clothe 
themselves),  was  10  centavos  per  metro;  and  that  now,  as 
'manta'  was  selling  for  from  two  to  two  and  one-quarter 
pesos,  they  had  not  'con  que  comprar'  (wherewith  to  buy)." 

Youthfulness  of  Some  Mexican  Soldiers 

September  26th,  1915. 
In  my  letter  dated  June  28,  under  the  subject  of  "The 


NAKEDNESS  AMONG  POOR— YOUTHFUL  SOLDIERS  173 

Proletariat  in  the  Saddle,"  I  took  occasion  to  relate  an  inci- 
dent touching  the  subject  of  this. 

Since  then,  I  have  seen  so  many  mere  boys  in  uniform, 
and  armed  as  soldiers,  that  I  thought  it  might  be  worth  while 
to  relate: 

Last  Sunday  morning,  while  passing  the  Banco  de  Lon- 
dres  building,  on  San  Francisco  Street,  now  used  as  a  sort 
of  military  commissary,  I  was  impressed  with  the  youthful 
appearance  of  the  guard  at  the  door.  I  ventured  to  ask  him 
his  age,  when  he  very  pertly  answered,  "para  que  es?"  mean- 
ing, literally,  "what  for?"  but  in  this  case  was  intended  more 
to  mean,  "what  business  is  it  of  yours?" 

An  older  soldier  came  up  and  asked  what  was  wanted.  I 
explained  to  him  that  I  had  asked  the  young  sentry  how  old 
he  was,  and  that  he  did  not  please  to  tell  me.  The  older  guard 
then  informed  me  that  the  boy  was  10  years  of  age. 

I  was  on  my  way  to  the  Cosmopolita  Hotel  and  had  not 
gone  more  than  a  block  farther  when  I  met  a  Captain,  accom- 
panied by  a  very  boyish  looking  soldier.  I  addressed  the 
Captain,  and  asked  if  he  would  object  to  telling  me  how  old 
the  little  fellow  was.  He  answered,  very  politely,  "eight 
years!"     I  thanked  him,  and  we  each  went  his  way. 

Yesterday,  while  seated  in  San  Francisco  Plaza,  another 
soldier  boy  came  along  and  seated  himself  near  me.  I  asked 
him  his  age.  He  answered,  "ten  years."  I  then  asked  him 
the  age  of  the  youngest  enlisted  soldier  that  he  knew  of.  He 
answered,  "one  of  seven  years  of  age."  I  told  hirh  that  I 
would  divide  five  pesos  between  him  and  the  seven  year  old 
soldier  if  they  would  go  with  me  to  have  our  pictures  taken 
together.  He  said  he  would,  if  he  could  persuade  the  other 
little  fellow  to  come. 

I  thought  such  might  be  worth  while — preserving  a  pic- 
ture that  would  tell  its  own  tale — but  they  did  not  come  to 
have  their  pictures  taken. 


174  LOCAL   PRESS.— PURELY   POLITICAL 

September  30,  1915. 
Some  Suggestive  Items  in  the  Local  Press 

"In  the  Boletin  Militar"  of  the  20th,  there  were  several  very 
amusing  articles  bearing  on  the  conditions  here,  among  which 
was  one  strongly  censuring  the  public  coachmen  of  the  city 
for  using  such  miserable  looking  rosenantes ;  when  the  truth 
is  that  such  good  coach  horses  as  there  were,  had  been  taken 
by  the  military  from  the  coachmen  long  since;  and  if  the 
coachmen  should  have  good  horses  now,  instead  of  exhibiting 
them  before  the  eyes  of  the  military,  they  would  be  very  care- 
ful to  keep  them  hid  out  somewhere — probably  for  the  same 
reason  that  "a  burned  child  dreads  the  fire." 

September  30th,  1915. 
Purely  Political 

Although  this  letter  may  reach  you  post  hoc,  I  have  to 
say  that  in  a  conversation  with  Governor  Berlanga  last  night, 
touching  the  probable  action  of  the  "Powers"  as  to  the  recog- 
nition of  a  Provisional  President  for  Mexico ;  I  spoke  in  sub- 
stance : 

Suppose,  for  the  sake  of  argument,  that  Carranza  should 
be  recognized — what  good  would  it  do?  Money  would  have 
to  be  borrowed,  and  that  in  my  opinion,  the  financial  world 
would  not  lend  one  dollar  to  a  Government  headed  by  Car- 
ranza, for  the  reason  that, 

General  Carranza  has  already  placed  himself  so  far  be- 
yond, the  confidence  of  financiers,  that  they  would  not  take 
any  risks  on  him,  and  that. 

General  Carranza  could  have  no  one  to  blame  but  him- 
self, and  that — 

Inasmuch  as  such  would  be  the  most  probable  result, 
why  could  not  the  Constitutionalista  leaders — those  who  had 
stood  the  brunt  of  the  campaigns — get  together  and  lay  such 


ANOTHER  TALK  WITH  GOVERNOR  BERLANGA   175 

facts  before  General  Carranza — that  it  was  not  so  much  the 
business  of  the  Washington  Government  to  do  so,  nor  that  of 
any  other  foreign  nation,  as  it  was  that  of  the  Constitutional- 
ist henchmen  themselves. 

I  added  that  it  would  not  necessarily  follow  that  General 
Carranza  would  lose — but  rather,  gain — prestige ;  that  he  had 
served  his  purpose — a  figure-head  for  the  Constitutionalistas 
— and  that  now,  if  the  Constitutionalista  officers  would  take 
the  matter  up  directly  with  their  Chief,  and  he  could  be  made, 
by  them,  to  see  and  understand  that  if  he  would  do  such  a 
thing  as  stepping  aside — especially  at  this  juncture — that  in- 
stead of  his  name  going  down  in  history  as  a  failure,  it  would 
be  hailed  by  the  living,  and  passed  on  to  future  generations 
side  by  side  with  that  of  Francisco  Madero — that  then  Gen- 
eral Carranza  could  remain  in  Mexico  and  be  petted  as  much 
as  his  admirers  should  like — that  then  all  Mexico,  and  the 
outside  world,  would  honor  him,  and  exalt  his  name — that  his 
country  could  even  vote  him  a  life  Pension,  to  which  foreign 
residents  as  well  as  natives  would  be  glad  to  contribute — 
thus  restoring  peace  at  a  stroke,  as  it  were,  to  their  lacerated 
patria,  and  without  wounding  the  sentiments  of  any  person 
or  party. 

Alhough  Govrnor  Berlanga  professes  to  be  a  great  ad- 
mirer of  Carranza,  he  listened  attentively,  and  did  not  seem 
displeased  at  my  remarks. 

Indeed,  I  believe  that  if  such  a  campaign  was  pushed 
among  the  Carrancistas,  it  would  soon  result  in  success,  and 
leave  everybody  concerned  contented. 

Governor  Berlanga  understood  that  I  was  speaking 
strictly  in  a  private  capacity — just  as  one  personal  friend 
might  to  another. 

NOTE:  The  above  letter,  somewhat  in  line  with  that  of 
August  30,  was  another  of  my  blunders  in  imparting  same  to 
the  Department — trying  to  impress    Washington    with    my 


176  BANDITS  INTERCHANGE  COURTESIES 

puny  ideas  of  Carranzaism — blunders  with  more  good  sense 
in  them  than  in  anything  which  Washington  has  yet  dis- 
played in  dealing  with  the  "Mexican  Question,"  for  it  is  now 
a  matter  of  history — (after  more  than  four  years  have  elapsed 
since  the  above  was  written) — that  the  Carranza  Govern- 
ment has  failed  entirely  in  negotiating  a  loan,  and  in  every- 
thing else  that  could  be  commended. 

October  1st,  1915. 
Interchange  of  Courtesies  Between  the  Carrancistas  and  the 

Villistas 

Sometime  ago — after  a  body  of  Carrancistas  had  raided 
the  Magistral  mine,  about  50  miles  in  a  direct  line  West  of 
Guadalajara — the  management  of  the  mine  applied  to  a 
Villista  officer  not  far  away,  to  see  if  he  would  not  lend  his 
aid  in  trying  to  recover  the  stolen  property  from  the  Carran- 
cistas, which  consisted  of  a  number  of  horses,  mules,  saddles 
and  bridles,  etc. 

The  Villista  officer  wrote  a  note  to  the  chief  of  the  Car- 
rancista  band,  asking  the  return  of  the  stolen  property,  and 
offering,  as  an  inducement,  that  if  such  was  done,  the  Villista 
would,  in  turn,  bind  himself  to  extend  similar  courtesies  to 
the  Carrancista,  when  opportunity  offered. 

On  the  strength  of  this  note  alone  the  Carrancista  jefe 
immediately  returned  to  the  Magistral  mine  everything  they 
had  taken,  thus  strengthening,  by  one  more  example,  the  say- 
ing that  there  is  such  a  thing  as  honor,  even  among  thieves ! 

Inflaming  Soldiers  Against  Americans 

"A  Mr.  A.  F.  Cohen,  and  Mr.  Soderbeg,  respectively 
Superintendent  and  assistant,  of  this  division  of  the  Southern 
Pacific  Railroad,  were  out  at  Orendain  on  the  28th  of  Septem- 
ber, and  while  there,  had  the  pleasure  of  hearing  the  jife  of 
a  military  detachment  make  a  speech  to  his  men,  wherein  he 


A  HOTCHPOTCH   POLITICAL  SITUATION  177 

told  them  if  there  should  come  about  armed  intervention,  the 
first  thing  they  must  do,  would  be  to  surround  the  Southern 
Pacific  buildings  there — to  see  that  not  an  American  escaped 
' — and  to  burn  the  buildings  to  the  ground.  They  were  not 
able  to  give  me  the  name  of  the  officer. 

October  21st,  1915. 
Our  Present  Hotchpotch  Situation,  Politically  Speaking 

I  have  to  say  that  since  the  9th  of  this  month — the  day 
on  which  the  conference  of  the  representatives  of  the  Ameri- 
can Powers  met  again  on  the  subject  of  the  "Mexican  Ques- 
tion"— we  have  surely  been  in  a  great  mess. 

By  the  evening  of  the  9th,  the  local  authorities  here  be- 
gan to  claim  that  they  had  received  reliable  information  of  the 
recognition  of  General  Carranza. 

At  12  o'clock  on  the  10th,  (which  was  Sunday),  there  was 
begun  a  perfect  din  of  bell-ringings  throughout  the  city,  and 
as  usual,  when  such  occurs,  the  populace  began  to  gather  in 
the  Plaza  de  Armes  and  streets  about  the  Palace,  but  not  in 
as  great  numbers  as  would  have  been  expected  in  celebration 
of  such  an  event,  especially  on  a  Sunday. 

After  about  a  half  hour  of  waiting — the  bells  in  the  mean- 
time keeping  up  a  confusion  of  clangings — Governor  Berlanga 
and  staff  appeared  on  the  front  balcony  of  the  Palace,  and 
read  some  purported  telegrams,  confirmatory  of  the  uncon- 
ditional recognition  of  General  Carranza  and  the  Constitu- 
tionalista  party  by  the  A.  B.  C.  Conference. 

There  was  not  much  enthusiasm  manifested  by  the 
people,  and  it  was  easy  to  be  seen  that  the  protagonists  in 
the  manifestation  were  themselves  not  so  sanguine  of  the 
truth  of  the  matter  as  they  would  have  liked  to  be. 

Yet  they  pretended  to  hail  it  as  a  great  triumph,  and 
launched  a  number  of  heroic  remarks  on  the  strength  of  the 
supposed  good  news. 


178  A  HOTCHPOTCH   POLITICAL  SITUATION 

The  civilian  part  of  the  community  seemed  very  much 
disappointed.  It  v^as  evident  that  they  were  not  Carranza 
sympathizers. 

Then  rumors  began  to  circulate,  and  I  was  beset  on  every 
hand  with  questions  from  those  wanting  to  know  if  I  had  re- 
ceived any  official  information  on  the  subject.  I  could  only 
answer  in  the  negative,  and  studiedly  evaded  discussing  the 
matter  with  any  one. 

Throughout  the  week  following,  there  was  a  continuous 
stream  of  inquirers  to  the  Consulate,  composed  of  people  of 
all  nationalities. 

They  did  not  seem  to  be  able  to  reconcile  matters  in  their 
minds  when  told  that  not  one  word  as  to  the  actions  of  the 
A.  B.  C.  Conference  had  been  received  at  the  Consulate. 

Wilder  rumors  began  to  percolate,  and  by  Saturday,  Sun- 
day and  Monday,  16th,  17th  and  18th,  typewritten  posters  ap- 
peared on  the  walls  of  buildings  in  the  market  places,  both  in 
Guadalajara  and  suburban  villages,  some  saying  that  Villa 
had  been  recognized  instead  of  Carranza — others  that  Car- 
ranza had  been  recognized  only  on  condition  that  he  would 
return  to  the  citizens  and  Church,  all  properties  of  which  they 
had  been  robbed — give  general  amnesty  to  all  and  every  po- 
litical enemy,  including  the  old  Federals — give  ample  protec- 
tion to  both  foreigners  and  natives — call  elections  for  Janu- 
ary, 1916 — with  many  other  strings  to  it — and  closing  with 
the  assertions  that  if  these  conditions  were  not  complied  with 
to  the  letter,  an  American  army  of  three  hundred  thousand — 
now  on  the  border!!! — would  enter  Mexico,  and  force  said 
measures  to  be  carried  out. 

And  by  some  kind  of  hocus-pocus,  my  name  became  asso- 
ciated with  some  of  these  rumors,  in  various  ways — one  al- 
leging that  I  had  signed  a  statement  confirmatory  of  the  non- 
recognition  of  Carranza — another,  that  I  had  received  a  long 
cypher  dispatch  from  Washington,  and  after  uncoding  same, 


A  HOTCHPOTCH   POLITICAL  SITUATION  179 

was  posting  it  up  at  the  Consulate — that  Governor  Berlanga 
protested  at  this — that  I  persisted — was  arrested  and  taken 
to  he  Penitentiary! 

All  these  rumors  agreed  in  landing  me  in  the  Peniten- 
tiary— and  my  reported  incarceration  was  accepted  by  all. 
Early  Monday  morning,  18th,  first  Americans,  and  then  peo- 
ple of  other  natitonalities  began  coming  to  the  Consulate,  all 
seeming  surprised  to  find  me  at  my  desk.  Some  even  asked 
me,  "when  did  you  get  out  of  the  Penitentiary?" — and  adding 
"we  have  just  heard  of  it,  and  came  to  learn  if  we  could  be 
of  any  assistance!" 

And  when  I  closed  the  Consulate  at  the  noon  hour  and 
went  on  the  street,  the  populace  appeared  surprised  at  seeing 
me  walking  about  at  liberty. 

I  was  somewhat  at  a  loss  to  know  what  I  should  do ; — 
whether  I  should  call  on,  or  write  to  Governor  Berlanga; 
but  soon  concluded  that  I  should  not  do  anything  at  all — that 
Governor  Berlanga  could  but  know  that  I  would  not  have  had 
to  do  with  any  such  "canarderies." 

I  was  glad  that  the  local  press  of  that  afternoon  did  not 
refer  to  me,  or  the  Consulate,  in  its  treatment  of  the  reports. 
The  wild  rumors  were  charged  by  the  press  to  the  influence 
of  what  it  called  the  "Villista  Clerical  Party." 

When  I  met  Governor  Berlanga  faterwards,  neither  of  us 
referred  to  the  wild  reports  that  had  been  so  persistently  cir- 
culated, although  we  talked  of  the  rumored  action  of  the  A. 
B.  C.  Conference — he  telling  me  that  he  had  received  a  per- 
sonal telegram  from  General  Carranza  on  that  day  (20th), 
confirming  the  report  of  his  recognition  by  the  Washington 
Government ;  and  asked  me  if  I  had  not  rceived  advices  to  the 
same  eflfect,  which  I  had  to  answer  in  the  negative. 


180  THE  RECOGNITION  OF  CARRANZA 


CHAPTER  TWENTY-FOUR 

THE    RECOGNITION    OF    CARRANZA,    AND    SOME 
OTHER  VERY  UGLY  OCCURRENCES  NOT  OMIT- 

ABLE 

October  23rd,   1915. 
Recognition  of  General  Carranza 

I  received  a  telegram  from  the  Department  of  State, 
dated  October  19th,  informing  this  Consulate  of  the  recogni- 
tion by  the  Washington  Government  of  the  de  facto  Govern- 
ment of  Mexico,  of  which  General  Venustiano  Carranza  is  the 
Chief  Executive. 

I  at  once  ordered  copies  made  for  all  the  leading  local 
officials,  and  the  different  Consulates  here;  and  v^ent  to  see 
Governor  Berlanga  to  tell  him  personally,  and  offer  my  con- 
gratulations.    Governor  Berlanga  almost  wept  for  joy. 

Before  leaving,  I  reminded  myself  of  my  always  having 
heretofore  refused  to  accept — or  extend — any  formal  social 
amenities  to  either  revolutionary  faction,  explaining  that  until 
my  Government  should  recognize  them  that  I  did  not  think 
such  my  proper  course — to  which  each,  on  reflection,  answered 
that  "Vd.  tiene  razon"  (you  are  correct) — so  I  turned  back 
as  I  was  in  the  act  of  leaving  and  invited  the  Governor  to  join 
me  at  lunch  the  next  day,  adding  that  he  and  I  could  now  play 
together.    He  seemed  delighted  to  accept. 

We  did  not  get  out  formal  notices  until  about  3 :30  that 
same  afternoon,  but  long  before  this  hundreds  of  people  came 
to  the  Consulate;  others  sent  for  copies;  and  the  telephone 
too  was  worked  to  full  capacity.  Indeed,  I  had  not  finished 
my  lunch  before  newspaper  reporters  began  sending  in  their 


VILLISTAS'  EFFORTS  TO  RETAKE  GUADALAJARA     181 

cards — and  as  I  went  to  lunch  immediately  after  my  visit  to 
Governor  Berlanga,  and  had  not  "broken  the  news"  to  any 
one  else,  I  was  sure  it  must  have  been  himself  who  started 
it  in  its  verbal  flight  throughout  the  city. 

Disappointment  was  visible  in  the  countenances  of  many; 
and  some  asked  if  there  were  any  conditions  attached  to  the 
recognition.  I  answered  that  the  telegram  as  given  out,  was 
all  the  information  that  I  had  received. 

Yet  I  am  persuaded  that  many  who  at  first  felt  sorely 
disappointed,  now  feel  more  satisfied  than  if  nothing  had 
been  done.  They  console  themselves  by  saying,  "Well,  it  is 
at  least  a  beginning,  and  may  lead  somehow,  even  if  by  a 
devious  route,  to  an  earlier  restoration  of  peace." 

It  was  evident  that  the  Mexican  people  had  been  con- 
verted into  an  army  of  "peace  at  any  price"  proselytes — any- 
thing. Lord!  that  even  remotely  promised  surcease  from  the 
sufferings  they  had  been  enduring. 

October  28th,  1915. 

Supplement  to  my  letter  of  Oct.  21st  on  "Military  Move- 
ments 

"Last  night  there  was  considerable  excitement  in  the  city 
both  among  the  civilians  and  the  military.  It  had  been  learned 
that  after  the  Carrancistas  had  taken  Tequila,  Magdalena 
and  Hostotipaquillo,  the  Villistas  had  returned  and  retaken 
these  places,  and  h.ad  driven  the  Carrancistas  back  as  far  as 
Orendain,  where  the  latter  camped  last  night.  Orendain  is 
the  junction  point  of  the  Southern  Pacific  and  Mexican  Cen- 
tral Railroads,  20  miles  out  from  Guadalajara. 

In  some  other  parts  of  the  State  the  Villistas  are  also  re- 
ported to  be  gaining. 

Reinforcements  from  Michoican  are  expected  hourly,  and 


182    VILLISTAS'  EFFORTS  TO  RETAKE  GUADALAJARA 

the  Carrancistas  think  they  can,  with  these,  be  able  to  keep 
the  Villistas  from  retaking  Guadalajara. 

Nevertheless,  great  uneasiness  continues  to  be  felt 
throughout  the  city. 

Before  the  recognition  of  Carranza,  a  large  majority  of 
the  community  would  have  been  glad  to  have  the  Villistas 
back ;  but  now,  I  think  they  would  prefer  to  see  the  results 
of  the  Carranza  recognition  given  at  least  an  experimental 
trial. 

October  30th,  1915. 

Following  up  my  letters  of  21st  and  28th  October — Military 

Situation 

Since  my  letter  of  the  28th,  there  does  not  seem  to  be 
any  improvement  in  the  situation  here. 

The  Carrancistas  have  remained  encamped  at  Orendain 
— or  were  until  yesterday — but  retired  part  of  their  force  to 
La  Venta,  some  14  miles  from  Guadalajara. 

Also  there  are  Villista  troops  in  other  directions  from 
this  city,  especially  at  San  Cristobal,  15  miles  W.  N.  W. 

I  had  a  talk  last  evening  with  an  American  Captain  in 
the  Carranza  army,  and  he  said  that  if  reinforcements  should 
come  in  during  the  night,  they  would  have  a  pretty  fight  to- 
day, out  near  La  Venta;  but  if  reinforcements  did  not  reach 
here  before  morning,  that  he  did  not  think  there  would  be  a 
fight — that  the  Carrancistas  would  retire. 

It  is  claimed  the  Villistas  were  already  twenty-five  hun- 
dred strong,  and  that  two  thousand  reinforcements  had  al- 
ready passed  Hostotipaquillo  on  their  way  to  join  them. 

The  Villistas  are  said  to  be  well  armed,  and  plentifully 
supplied  with  ammunition,  except  as  to  cannon  and  rapid-fire 
guns. 

There  were  about  eight  hundred  Carrancista  troops  at 
Orendain,  thoroughly  equipped,  and  I  am  told  they  are  being 


VILLISTAS'  EFFORTS  TO  RETAKE  GUADALAJARA    183 

reinforced  by  two  thousand  more,  which  arrived  at  Guad- 
alajara during  the  night. 

At  this  writing,  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  the  Villistas 
will  be  routed,  yet  the  city  has  been  kept  in  a  high  state  of 
tension  during  the  past  few  days.  Many  prophesy  that  the 
V^illitas  will  retake  Guadalajara — but  I  think  the  wish  is 
father  to  these  predictions. 

In  view  of  the  foregoing,  I  have  felt  at  a  loss  to  know 
what  to  do  in  the  event  the  Villistas  come  in. 

Several  conservative  Americans  have  insisted  that  if  the 
Carrancistas  should  leave,  I  should  go  with  them. 

I  have  had  prepared  for  the  past  forty-eight  hours,  a  code 
message  to  send  to  Washington,  asking  instructions  in  the 
event  of  such  a  contingency,  but  did  not  want  to  do  anything 
sensational,  and  therefore  held  it  over  until  today — which 
may  prove  to  have  been  too  late. 

If  the  Villistas  should  retake  Guadalajara,  before  I  shall 
have  received  an  answer  to  my  telegram,  it  is  my  present 
determination  to  remain  here. 

I  could  not  get  the  other  Americans  out,  and  I  could  not 
bear  the  thought  of  deserting  them. 

I  know  I  would  not  have  any  official  standing  with  the 
Villistas  since  Washington  hasi  recognized  Carranza — and 
might  therefore  be  in  a  more  critical  position  than  if  I  had 
never  been  a  Consular  officer — but  I  have  served  as  a  sort  of 
shepherd  to  these  people  so  long,  and  through  such  trying 
times,  that  to  desert  them  in  the  face  of  this  new  plight — I 
fear  that  it  would  be  beyond  me — except  in  obedience  to  in- 
structions from  my  superiors. 

I  may  overestimate  my  usefulness  under  such  circum- 
stances— without  any  official  standing  before  the  Villistas. 
Nevertheless  I  cannot  entertain  any  other  thought  than  to 
remain,  and  do  what  little  I  might,  as  long  as  permitted. 


184    VILLISTAS'  EFFORTS  TO  RETAKE  GUADALAJARA 

October  31st,  1915. 

The    Military    Situation — Supplementary    to    Letters    dated 
October  21-28  and  30th 

This  Sunday  morning,  is  the  first  time,  within  the  past 
four  days,  that  the  strained  miHtary  situation  encompassing 
this  community  would  permit  of  one's  taking  a  full  breath — 
and  this  may  prove  to  be  only  a  temporary  relief. 

It  was  not  known  in  the  city  until  to-day,  that  the  Villis- 
tas  had  actually  driven  the  Carrancistas  from  La  Venta — 14 
miles  out — and  were  following  the  retreat  of  the  latter  to 
Guadalajara,  when — just  in  the  nick  of  time — two  thousand 
more  Carranza  troops  appeared  upon  the  scene,  and  drove  the 
Villistas  back,  and  beyond,  La  Venta. 

So  at  present  it  seems  the  city  is  to  be  saved,  once  more, 
from  falling  again  into  the  hands  of  the  Villistas. 

The  time  so  gained  will  enable  the  Carrancistas  to  bring 
ample  reinforcements  to  overcome  any  probable  number  of 
Villistas  that  might  be  available. 

It  is  now  12  M.  and  before  closing  this  letter,  I  will  add 
anything  of  interest  that  I  may  be  able  to  gather,  until  an 
opportunity  offers  for  sending  it  out;  and  in  the  meantime, 
will  give  you  an  account  of  an 

Attempted  Suppression  of  My  Telegram  in  Code 

I  sent  a  code  dispatch  to  the  telegraph  office  yesterday 
morning;  the  messenger  soon  returned,  saying  that  the  tele- 
gram had  been  refused — unless  accompanied  by  an  uncoded 
translation. 

I  sent  the  messenger  back  immediately,  with  the  request 
that  the  manager  of  the  office  note  on  the  telegram  his  refusal, 
and  sign  his  name  to  same.    He  declined  to  do  this. 

I  then  sent  to  Governor  Berlanga,  by  the  Consular  Sec- 
retary, a  letter  which  said :  "I  am  astonished  that  the  di- 
rector of  the  Federal  Telegraph  System  here  positively  re- 


MY  TELEGRAMS  TO  WASHINGTON  SUPPRESSED      18b 

fuses  to  transmit  a  code  telegram  from  this  Consulate  to  the 
Washington  Government,  unless  same  be  accompanied  with 
its  translation. 

"I  would  like  very  much  to  learn,  from  your  Excellency, 
as  early  as  may  be  possible,  if  this  is  the  kind  of  treatment 
that  I  am  to  expect  from  the  present  Government  here." — 
(Signed)  Will  B.  Davis,  American  Vice  Consul. 

After  sending  Secretary  Corrothers  to  the  Governor,  I 
took  the  telegram  in  person,  accompanied  by  Messers  Kline 
and  Burt,  American  citizens,  and  went  to  see  the  Director  of 
the  telegraph  office,  and  in  the  presence  of  these  witnesses, 
asked  him  to  send  the  telegram  just  as  it  was — in  code — or 
write  on  same  his  reasons  for  not  doing  so. 

He  declined  to  do  either,  saying  he  could  show  me  in- 
structions from  the  Chief  of  the  Federal  Telegraph  System  to 
refuse  all  telegrams  in  code  unaccompanied  by  their  respec- 
tive translations. 

I  answered  that  I  did  not  care  to  see  a  telegram — or  any 
number  of  telegrams — from  his  chief — that  what  I  was  con- 
cerned about  was  to  get  a  telegram  to  my  own  chief — and 
again  asked  him  to  either  accept  my  message,  or  write  on 
same  his  reasons  for  not  doing  so;  and  he  again  declined  to 
send  it,  or  write  his  reasons. 

I  then  called  my  witnesses'  attention  to  these  facts,  and 
was  about  to  depart,  when  he  begged  me  to  wait  until  he  could 
call  up  Mexico  and  ask  his  chief  about  it. 

I  answered  that  I  had  taken  Doctor  Kline  from  his  office 
— that  Mr.  Burt  had  an  appointment  due — and  as  I  had  taken 
the  matter  up  with  Governor  Berlanga,  sending  the  letter  by 
the  Secretary  of  the  Consulate, — I  also  must  return  without 
delay — that  he  could  let  me  know  in  his  own  good  time,  should 
he  have  anything  to  communicate  after  hearing  from  his  chief; 
and  with  my  witnesses,  I  left. 

In  about  thirty  minutes  the  manager  called  me  by  tele- 


186  VILLISTAS  ROUTED  BY  CARRANCISTAS 

phone,  and  said  if  I  would  send  the  message  to  the  office 
again,  he  would  transmit  it  in  code. 

The  Secretary  did  not  return  until  an  hour  after  this; 
when  he  told  me  that  he  did  not  know  what  passed  between 
Governor  Berlanga  and  the  manager  of  the  telegraph  office, 
but  that  as  soon  as  Governor  Berlanga  had  read  my  letter 
he  sent  for  the  manager  to  come  to  the  Palace,  which  the  lat- 
ter did  without  delay. 

Perhaps  Governor  Berlanga  will  answer  my  letter  sooner 
or  later,  and  say  something  like  this :  That  after  inquiring 
about  the  subject,  he  found  that  the  telegram  in  question  had 
already  been  forwarded ! ! 

As  to  whether  the  telegram  reached  the  Department,  I 
have  not  yet  learned,  but  I  much  apprehend  that  it  may  have 
had  applied  to  it — before  having  gotten  safely  across  the  bor- 
der— "la  ley  fuga." 

This  behavior  towards  sending  my  code  message  to  the 
Department  is  evidence  of  the  extreme  anxiety  on  the  part 
of  the  authorities  here  to  keep  Washington  in  ignorance  of 
their  precarious  situation. 

To  the  best  of  my  recollection,  this  was  the  first  and 
only  time  that  the  Carrancistas  attempted  to  suppress  my 
telegrams. 

November  3d. — No  changes  of  importance  regarding  the 
military  situation  have  occurred  since  date  of  this  letter,  ex- 
cept that  the  Carrancistas  have  been  driving  the  Villistas 
back — the  neswpapers  say  into  the  mountains — which  latter 
is  not  so;  at  least  according  to  perfectly  reliable  American 
citizens'  testimony,  who  tell  me  that  the  Villistas  are  yet 
holding  Tequila,  Magdalena,  Quemada,  Hostitopaquillo  and 
other  places. 

Yet  every  one  here  now  feels  that  the  menace  of  the 
Villistas  is  over  for  the  present. 


DISCRIMINATIONS  AGAINST  MINE  INVESTMENTS    187 

November  5th,  1915. 
A  Masqued  Effort  to  Discriminate  Against  Foreign  Investors 

in  Mines. 

Although  I  might  not  be  able  to  maintain,  technically, 
the  proposition  that  would  naturally  be  construed  from  the 
above  subject,  it  is  the  purpose  of  this  letter  to  show  the 
arbitrary  manner  in  which  mining  interests  are  being  treated 
by  the  present  Government;  and  as  how  foreigners — prin- 
cipally Americans — are  being  made  the  sufferers.  I  believe 
that  about  90%,  at  least,  of  all  investments  in  mines  in  Mex- 
ico is  strictly  of  American  origin. 

As  a  basis  of  what  this  letter  is  intended  to  set  forth,  I 
will  give  an  epitome  of  the  mining  tax  laws :  The  taxes  up 
to  a  short  time  ago  had  been  six  pesos  per  pertenencia — 
(about  2^  acres).  The  fiscal  year  begins  July  1st,  and  taxes 
are  payable  every  four  months  in  advance.  If  the  first  tercio 
was  not  paid  before  the  last  of  July,  50%  is  added;  and  then, 
if  not  paid  before  the  end  of  August  100%  is  superadded ;  and 
if  this  is  not  paid  before  the  end  of  October,  the  property  is 
forfeited  to  the  Government.  Said  taxes  are  payable  in  the 
circulating  medium  of  the  country. 

Now  said  taxes  have  been  doubled,  and  must  be  paid  in 
metallic  money. 

And  this  must  be  done  whether  one  is,  or  can  be  put  in 
possession  of  the  property  or  not;  or .  whether  the  present 
Government  is  in  control  of  the  territory  wherein  the  prop- 
erty may  be  located,  or  not. 

Moreover,  these  conditions  arc  being  maintained  not- 
withstanding the  fact — which  the  Government  very  well 
knows — that  for  months,  on  account  of  conditions  brought 
about  by  the  revolutions  in  this  country — completely  inter- 
rupting all  communication  in  many  cases — compliance  with 
the  edict  has  been  made  impossible. 

Many  Americans  have  not  been  able  to  get  to,  or  in  pos- 


188  ROBBING  EIGHT  YEAR  OLD  GIRL  OF  PONY 

session  of  their  properties  for  months,  nor  obtain  money  from 
the  States  to  make  payments,  the  latter  being  due  to  a  want 
of  communication. 

Therefore — and  for  no  fault  of  their  own — American  in- 
vestors must  lose  their  properties! 

This  strikes  me  as  unjust,  unfair  and  extremely  arbi- 
trary; and  if  anything  can  be  done  to  stay  the  operation 
of  these  confiscatory  measures,  I  feel  that  it  ought  to  be 
done,  and  the  sooner  the  better. 

Just  as  I  had  finished  the  foregoing,  an  experienced 
American  mine  owner  came  into  the  Consulate  and  said  we 
ought  to  try  to  do  something  to  get  relief — that  at  least  60% 
of  mining  interests  in  the  States  of  Jalisco  and  Michoican, 
and  the  Territory  of  Tepic,  had  already  been  forfeited. 

Noveber  6th,  1915. 
The  Taking  by  the  Military  of  a  Shetland  Pony  Belonging 
To  an  Eight-Year-Old  Girl. 

On  the  1st  of  this  month,  the  mozo  of  a  Russian  subject 
by  the  name  of  Zakrzewski,  was  halted  while  passing  through 
a  central  part  of  the  city  by  a  soldier,  who  took  from  him  a 
Shetland  pony,  the  property  of  Mr.  Z.'s  eight-year-old  girl. 

The  mozo,  knowing  how  fond  the  family — and  especially 
the  little  Mistress — were  of  the  pony,  offered  the  soldier  a 
good-sized  mule  instead,  remarking  that  the  mule  was  worth 
ten  times  as  much  as  the  pony;  but  the  soldier  answered 
that  his  Captain  had  ordered  him  to  bring  the  pony,  and  that 
he  was  going  to  take  it. 

This  happened  on  the  eighth  birthday  of  the  little  girl; 
and  it  was  at  the  time  her  little  friends  were  gathering  in  cele- 
bration of  same  that  the  mozo  arrived  and  told  of  the  calam- 
ity, which  at  once  converted  the  gleeful  reunion  of  the  little 
tots  into  a  scene  of  sadness. 

The  father  went  at  once  to  the  Commandancia  and  told 


ROBBING  EIGHT  YEAR  OLD  GIRL  OF  PONY  189 

of  the  robbery.  The  Commandante  advised  him  that  if  Mr. 
Z.  could  locate  the  pony,  that  he,  the  Commandante,  would 
try  to  have  it  returned. 

Mr.  Z.  then  went  on  a  search — a  la  hunting  a  needle  in 
a  hay  stack — and  after  two  days  and  nights  of  fruitless  labor 
brought  the  matter  to  this  Consulate,  in  the  following  letter: 

"Guadalajara,  Nov.  3,  1915. 

"Will  B.  Davis,  American  Consul.  Sir — As  a  Russian 
subject,  without  Consular  representation  here,  I  wish  to 
make  a  reclamation  through  you  for  the  loss  of  a  small  pony 
en  the  streets  of  this  city  day  before  yesterday. 

"My  mozo  was  leading  the  pony  when  he  was  stopped 
by  a  soldier,  who  demanded  the  pony,  saying  that  he  had 
an  order  from  his  Captain  to  take  possession.  The  mozo 
protested,  but  the  soldier  threatened  to  shoot  him  if  he  did 
not  hand  over  the  pony  at  once.  The  mozo  offered  a  mule 
he  had  instead.  The  mule  was  worth  ten  times  as  much  as 
the  pony.  The  mozo  knew  it  would  break  the  little  girl's 
heart  to  lose  her  pet  pony;  but  had  to  give  it  up  because  he 
was  forced  to  do  so. 

"I  am  very  anxious  to  get  the  pony  back  again,  as  it  is 
the  property  of  my  little  girl,  ad  I  will  thank  you  very  much 
in  anticipatin  of  anything  you  can  do  for  me  in  the  matter. 
"Very  truly  yours, 

(Signed)     "J.  de  Zakrzewski." 

I  asked  Mr.  Z.  to  bring  his  little  girl  to  the  Consulate 
while  the  Secretary  prepared  the  following,  addressed  to 
Commandante  Gilberto  Dalli,  and  dated  3d  November:  "I 
am  enclosing  with  this  a  letter  from  Mr.  Zakrzewski,  a  Rus- 
sian subject. 

"As  the  Government  of  the  above  mentioned  Mr.  Z.  does 
not  have  an  official  representative  here,  in  obedience  to  in- 


190  ROBBING  EIGHT  YEAR  OLD  GIRL  OF  PONY 

structions  from  my  Government,  I  hold  him  under  the  pro- 
tection of  the  American   Consulate. 

"I  therefore  beg-  of  you  to  try  to  have  the  pony  in  ques- 
tion returned  to  its  little  owner. 

"It  is  self  evident  that  said  pony  could  not  be  of  service 
to  the  military — really  of  no  service  for  anything  except  for 
children  to  play  with — and  consequently  it  could  not  be 
claimed  that  it  had  been  commandeered  on  account  of  mili- 
tary exigencies." 

Arrived  at  the  Commandancia,  the  little  girl  presented 
the  envelope  containing  above  letters  to  the  Commandante. 

After  reading  them,  he  told  me  about  the  same  that  he 
had  told  Mr.  Z. 

I  went  over  the  circumstances,  enlarging  quite  fully  on 
the  birthday  scene,  etc.,  when  the  Commandante  somewhat 
sarcastically  remarked  that  he  did  not  think  it  would  become 
an  international  case.  , 

I  then  addressed  myself  to  him  quite  in  earnest,  telling 
him — among-  other  things — that  while  I  was  sure  the  case 
would  never  come  up  as  between  the  two  Governments,  that 
if  this  little  girl's  pony  was  not  returned  to  her,  it  would  be- 
come a  matter  of  more  than  local  notoriety — that  on  hearing 
of  the  case  not  only  in  the  United  States,  but  perhaps  in 
other  countries,  it  would  be  received  with  sentiments  of  in- 
dignation— that  the  picture  that  would  impress  itself  on  the 
minds  of  every  one,  from  young  children  to  grandmothers, 
would  be  that  of  a  military  officer  ruthlessly  robbing  an 
eight-year-old  child  of  its  pet  pony  to  give  to  one  of  his  own 
children — that  he  need  not  doubt  but  it  would  be  known 
broadcast — and  that  it  was  partly  the  purpose  of  my  visit, 
to  call  his  attention  to  this  sentimental  aspect  of  the  case, 
and  what  it  really  implied,  touching  the  reputation  of  the 
present  Government ;  and  that  in  my  opinion,  it  behooved  him 
more    to    use    every    effort  within    his    power — cost    what    it 


ROBBING  EIGHT  YEAR  OLD  GIRL  OF  PONY  191 

.night — to  restore  to  this  little  girl  her  pony,  than  a  hundred 
horses  wrongfully  taken  from  an  adult  person — that  he  knew 
very  well  when  he  told  Mr.  Zakrzewski  that  if  he  could  lo- 
cate the  pony,  etc.,  that  his  search  would  prove  a  failure — 
that  in  my  opinion  the  pony  was  not  to  be  found  in  any  bar- 
racks, or  out  toward  the  field  of  battle,  but  in  the  patio  of 
the  private  home  of  some  officer;  and  that  he,  the  Comman- 
dante,  was  the  only  person  who  could,  and  should,  have  a 
close  search  made;  and  I  earnestly  advised  him  to  have  it 
done. 

He  said  that  if  the  pony  could  not  be  found,  he  would 
pay  for  it. 

.  I  answered  that  such  things  could  not  well  be  satisfied 
by  the  payment  of  money — that  even  the  ignorant  mozo  had 
offered  a  mule  worth  ten  times  as  much  intrinsically,  to  be 
allowed  to  keep  the  pony. 

Altogether,  I  succeeded  in  getting  the  Commandante 
pretty  well  worked  up;  and  he  promised  to  put  all  means 
within  his  power  in  operation  in  an  effort  to  find  the  pony. 

This  interview  occurred  at  12:30  on  the  afternoon  of  the 
4th,  and  in  the  "Accion,"  a  local  afternoon  paper,  there  was 
prominently  displayed  on  the  front  page  the  following  no- 
tice, which  I  translate  into  English : 

"The  persons  having  in  their  possession  a  horse  of  the 
following  description  must  present  themselves  to  this  Com- 
mandancia;  if  not,  they  will  be  punished  with  all  rigor. 
(Meaning  they  would  be  shot. — W.  B.  D.) 

"The  horse  referred  to  (and  here  he  gave  a  description 
of  the  pony.— W.  B.  D.). 

"This  animal  is  the  property  of  an  American  citizen, 
whose  Consul  demands  its  return."  (Making  a  mistake  in 
the  citizenship. — W.  B.  D.) 

There  has  been  a  great  deal  of  speculation  over  the  city 
as  to  the  probabilities  of  reclaiming  the  pony.     Many  think« 


192  ROBBING  EIGHT  YEAR  OLD  GIRL  OF  PONY 

it  will  be  secretly  killed,  and  buried,  instead  of  being  returned 
by  the  guilty  party. 

At  any  rate,  it  goes  to  show  how  barefacedly  such  rob- 
beries are  being  perpetrated  in  and  about  the  city,  and  how 
little  attention  is  being  paid  by  the  authorities  when  such  is 
done  by  the  military. 

NOTE :  November  8. — As  the  sending  of  this  letter  has 
been  delayed,  I  will  say  that  up  to  the  present  not  a  thing 
has  been  learned  about  the  pony;  but  yesterday  two  mules 
were  returned  by  the  Military,  which  they  had  stolen  from 
the  Episcopal  Missionary  farm  here — one  having  been  taken 
four,  and  the  other  two,  weeks  ago. 

Thus  I  am  persuaded  that  although  the  pony  in  ques- 
tion may  not  be  recovered,  the  stirring  up  that  the  Military 
has  had  over  it  will  result  in  good. 

My  course  may  seem  to  some  not  altogether  justified ; 
but  when  one  has  tried  as  long  as  I  have  to  teach  these  people 
the  wrong  of  such  acts,  they  would  find  that  not  anything 
short  of  the  most  energetic  efforts  would  ever  strike  in  on 
them — and  that  even  this  would  fail  in  the  majority  of  cases, 
for  want  of  being  backed  up  by  armed  force — the  only 
kind  of  "argument"  that  these  people  understand,  or  respect. 

Commandante  Dalli  overdid  the  advertising  business  in 
wording  his  notice  as  published  in  "Accion." 

He  meant  well ;  but  no  Mexican,  after  having  read  that 
notice,  could  have  been  induced  to  be  seen  with  that  pony — 
they  would  have  looked  upon  such  as  being  equal  to  con- 
demning themselves  to  certain  death.  Hence  it  was  thought 
that  the  pony  was  killed,  and  buried  out  of  sight.  But  it 
caused  the  two  mules  to  be  returned  to  the  Episcopal  Mis- 
sion ! ! ! 


ATTEMPTED  ABDUCTION  OF  AN  AMERICAN  GIRL    193 


CHAPTER  TWENTY-FIVE 

CARRANZAISM    CONTINUES    CONSISTENTLY   CAR- 
RANZAIZING 

November  13th,  1915. 
The  Attempted  Abduction  of  an  American  Girl  by  a  Carran- 
cista  General,  as  Related  by  Her  Own  Father. 

An  American  gentleman,  who  has  just  arrived  at  the 
Consulate,  coming  directly  from  Hostotipaquillo,  brought  me 
the  following  letter,  which  will  explain  itself: 

Hostotipaquillo,  November  10th,  1915. 
"To  Dr.  Will  B.  Davis,  U.  S.  Consul,  Guadalajara,  Jalisco, 
Mexico. 

Dear  Sir: — On  night  before  last,  a  detachment  of  Car- 
ranza  soldiers,  consisting  of  between  three  and  four  hundred, 
commanded  by  a  General,  entered  this  town,  already  almost 
abandoned  by  its  former  inhabitants. 

They  met  with  no  resistance.  After  traversing  several 
streets,  they  lined  up  in  front  of  my  residence.  A  detach- 
ment of  eight  men  forced  their  way  into  my  house,  very 
much  alarming  me  and  my  family  with  their  arms,  and 
avowed  their  intention  of  abducting  my  daughter,  a  young 
woman  aged  20  years. 

They  demanded  7,000  pesos  from  me,  on  pain  of  being 
shot.  When  they  were  told  that  I  did  not  have  any  money, 
they  shut  my  daughter  up  in  one  of  the  rooms  and  then  pro- 
ceeded to  search  the  house  for  money  and  valuables,  which 
they  did  not  find. 

They  appropriated  my  revolver  and  a  little  .22  rifle. 
During  the  time  they  were  engaged  in  ransacking  my  house 


194   ATTEMPTED  ABDUCTION  OF  AN  AMERICAN  GIRL 

and  scattering  the  contents  of  my  trunks,  my  daughter  suc- 
ceeded in  escaping  from  the  room  where  she  had  been  con- 
fined, evading  the  sentinels  in  the  darkness,  and  took  refuge 
in  a  neighboring  hut.  Although  a  vigorous  search  was  made 
for  her,  she  was  not  found.  She  is  still  in  concealment,  but 
in  imminent  danger  of  being  discovered,  and  abducted. 

These  men  were  all  in  the  uniform  of  Carrancistas, 
headed  by  a  Carranza  officer,  who  reprimanded  the  sentinel 
for  allowing  my  daughter  to  escape,  and  threatened  him  with 
the  vengeance  of  the  ^General,'  under  whose  orders  they  were 
eivdently  acting. 

Being  helpless,  I  made  no  resistance,  except  to  protest 
my  American  citizenship. 

I  fear  that  another  effort  will  be  made  to  find  and  carry 
off  my  daughter,  and  perhaps  murder  me. 

These  men  and  officers  belong  to  the  command  of  Gen- 
eral Iturbe  who,  after  the  battle  had  at  the  outskirts  of  the 
town,  and  after  having  routed  the  Villistas,  came  to  my  house 
with  ten  officers  of  his  staff,  at  2  P.  M.,  and  ordered  my  fam- 
ily to  give  them  dinner.  Notwithstanding  the  dearth  of  pro- 
visions to  be  had  in  the  town,  we  fed  them  as  best  we  could. 
At  that  time  they  assured  me  that  I  had  nothing  to  fear,  as 
they  would  give  us  ample  protection. 

On  this  assurance,  I  was  perfectly  void  of  fear,  and  un- 
prepared for  such  a  visitation  and  outrage  as  was  perpe- 
trated on  myself  and  family  that  night. 

There  were  other  outrages  perpetrated  the  same  night 
on  young  girls  of  peaceable  Mexican  families  by  this  detach- 
ment, acting  under  the  command  of  their  officers,  who  are 
making  use  of  their  troops  to  thus  satisfy  their  brutal  pas- 
sions and  lust. 

I  communicate  this  to  you,  begging  that  you  may  use 
your  influence  in  your  official  position,  with  the  view  that 
these  guilty  officers  may  be  punished,  as  they  deserve  to  be. 


ATTEMPTED  ABDUCTION  OF  AN  AMERICAN  GIRL    195 

and  in  the  hope  that  a  perpetration  of  these  outrages  here 
may  not  be  repeated."         (Signed)     Daniel  B.  Nichols. 

Mr.  McCormick,  who  brought  the  letter  from  Hostotipa- 
quillo,  told  me  that  among  the  staff  of  General  Iturbe,  who 
ate  dinner  at  Mr.  Nichols',  were  Generals  Novoa,  Espinosa 
and  Amaro;  and  that  although  the  name  of  the  particular 
Coronel  who  was  in  command  of  the  body  of  troops  who 
were  out  on  abduction  tours  on  the  night  referred  to  could 
not  be  learned,  it  was  well  known  that  he  was  the  officer  who 
had  recently  been  in  command  of  the  Carranza  forces  at  the 
town  of  El  Labor. 

Also,  that  it  was  the  general  opinion  at  Hostotipaquillo 
that  the  particular  officer  for  whom  the  Nichols  girl's  ab- 
duction was  attempted,  was  General  Amaro. 

At  any  rate,  it  must  have  been  one  of  the  Generals  who 
dined  at  the  Nichols  house  that  day,  who,  becoming  enam- 
ored of  her  while  she  was  serving  the  meal,  and  had  deter- 
mined to  make  use  of  her  for  the  gratification  of  his  animal 
passions,  had  for  this  purpose  sent  the  detachment  of  troops 
to  escort  her  to  his  quarters  that  night. 

Mr.  Mc.C.  said  that  Mr.  Nichols  did  not  mention  his 
American  citizenship  until  after  he  had  been  threatened  with 
death  because  of  the  escape  of  his  daughter,  and  that  the  an- 
nouncement threw  consternation  into  the  ranks  of  the  soldiery 
who,  becoming  apprehensive  at  hearing  this,  immediately  re- 
tired from  the  premises. 

Mr.  McC.  further  stated  that  he  had  learned  through 
several  channels  that  the  perpetrators  of  the  Nichols  outrage 
were  very  fearful  that  their  conduct  would  be  reported,  and 
to  prevent  this  as  long  as  possible,  had  kept  both  the  tele- 
phone and  telegraph  wires  to  Hostotipaquillo  cut  ever  since. 
He  said  that  they  did  not  fear  the  report  reaching  the  Mex- 
ican authorities  here,  so  much  as  they  were  that  the  Ameri- 
can Consul  might  hear  of  their  acts. 


196      SELF-EXPLANATORY  LETTERS  TO  GOVERNOR 

I  have  already  reported  the  case  to  Governor  Berlanga, 
asking  that  a  thorough  investigation  be  made  at  the  earliest 
moment,  and  that  the  guilty  parties — whoever  they  are — be 
duly  punished. 

But  "reporting"  such  cases,  and  "begging"  that  due 
punishment  be  administered,  was  about  all  that  could  be 
done.  In  answer  to  my  letter  to  Governor  Berlanga,  I  expect 
to  receive  "assurances"  of  a  "determination"  to  "correct"  such 
matters,  or  a  nicely  worded  letter  with  the  impress  of 
"evasiveness"  in  every  line  and  "between  lines."  And  that 
will  be  the  last  that  will  be  heard,  or  done  about  it. 

November  30th,  1915. 
Letters  to  Acting  Governor  Berlanga,  Which  Explain  Them- 
selves 

I  am  herewith  transmitting  translated  copies  of  two 
recent  letters  sent  from  this  Consulate  to  Governor  Berlanga, 
as  follows: 

"Governor  Berlanga: — On  the  9th  of  September,  1915,  a 
band  of  men  commanded  by  one  Rosalio  Fernandez,  who 
called  himself  a  Carrancista,  and  held  a  commission  signed 
by  Coronel  Elias  Saldana,  attacked  in  the  town  of  San  An- 
tonio, near  Ayutlo,  in  this  State,  the  house  of  a  British  sub- 
ject named  Fitzpatrick  and  killed  Mr.  Fitzpatrick.  In  the 
same  house  there  were  at  the  time  the  wife  and  two  daugh- 
ters of  Mr.  Fitzpatrick  and  an  American  citizen  najmed 
Barton. 

"In  those  days  I  went  to  the  Commandancia  Militar  of 
the  State,  where  Major  Gilberto  Dalli  informed  me  that  as 
the  territory  where  the  crime  had  been  committed  was  under 
the  control  of  the  VilHstas,  his  Government  could  not  do 
anything  on  the  case  then.  Consequently,  all  I  could  do  was 
to  report  the  case  to  Washington. 

"Knowing  that  your  Government  was  not  then  in  con- 


HOW  WORK  OF  PACIFICATION  IS  CONDUCTED       197 

trol  of  the  territory  in  question,  I  delayed  writing  to  you 
until  now,  and  after  I  have  been  reliably  informed  that  you 
are  in  control  there. 

"I  expect  that  your  Excellency  will  act  in  justice  so  soon 
as  circumstances  will  permit."     Also, 

"Governor  Berlanga : — It  has  been  reported  to  this  Con- 
sulate, that  a  man  by  the  name  of  Antonio  Castellon,  known 
by  the  alias  of  "El  Polio,"  who  assassinated  an  American 
citizen  by  the  name  of  Parmenter  a  few  months  ago  near  El 
Favor  mine  and  stole  $15,000.00  worth  of  precipitates — 
property  of  El  Favor  Mining  Company — while  said  precipi- 
tates were  being  transported  towards  La  Quemada,  has  re- 
cently been  commissioned  as  an  officer  in  the  Constitutional- 
ista  Army. 

"I  ask  from  your  Excellency  to  please  find  out  as  to  the 
truth  of  this  rumor,  and  in  case  it  proves  to  be  well  founded, 
I  expect  that  such  a  thief,  and  assassin,  of  the  property  and 
lives  of  American  citizens  shall  be  brought  to  justice. 

"(Signed),  WILL  B.  DAVIS,  American  Vice  Consul." 

December  4th,  1915. 
How  the  Work  of  Pacification  is  being  Effected  Hereabouts 

While  General  Iturbe,  who  is  now  chief  in  command 
for  the  'Pacification  of  the  States  of  Jalisco  and  Colima,'  is 
succeeding,  apparently,  in  ridding  these  sections  of  Villistas, 
para  pasu  with  his  military  successes,  are  the  unbridled  liber- 
tinisms  of  his  men  and  officials  manifesting  themselves. 

There  is  not  a  product  of  these  sections  which  can  be 
turned  into  cash — except  such  as  may  be  in  the  hands  of 
foreigners — that  they  are  not,  in  the  name  of  the  Government, 
possessing  themselves  of. 

Not  satisfied  with  first  taking  over  everything  for 
which  there  might  be  found  ready  sales  in  foreign  markets,  as 
the  pecan  crop,  garbanzos,  hides,  etc.,  such  as  were  hereto- 


198    AMERICAN  CITIZEN  TELLS  OF  HIS  EXPERIENCES 

fore  shipped  out  of  the  country,  they  are  now — and  have  been 
for  some  time — taking  possession  of  all  the  remaining  beef 
cattle,  tequila,  corn,  beans  and  other  commodities  to  send  to 
and  sell  at  Mexico  City  and  other  domestic  markets. 

Where  they  pay  at  all  for  anything  they  may  take,  they 
pay  according  to  their  own  whims  in  the  so-called  'bilim- 
bique*  money  of  the  country,  and  no  one  dares  to  say  *nay !' 

There  is  no  question  but  a  systematic  process  of  fleecing 
the  rich  and  well-to-do  of  every  movable  thing  that  they  have 
is  being  carried  out.  Even  the  comparatively  poor  are  not 
being  spared — and  as  to  the  veritably  poor,  they  are,  inci- 
dentally, being  made  the  greatest  sufferers. 

While  on  former  occasions  representatives  of  both  sides 
of  the  contending  factions  had  admitted  to  me  that  it  was 
their  intention  to  take  from  the  rich  everything  they  had,  it 
might  have  been  thought  that  after  a  party  had  been  rec- 
ognized by  other  Governments,  it  would  modify  such  a  pro- 
gramme; but  such  is  not  the  case. 

If  the  pacification  methods  that  are  being  used  in  this 
district  are  being  generally  practiced  over  the  Republic,  the 
consequences  can  easily  be  foreseen." 

December  9th,  1915. 

Personal  Experiences  of  an  American  Citizen  in  the  States  of 
Jalisco  and  Michoacan,  and  the  Territory  of  Tepic 

I  am  just  in  receipt  of  the  following  letter,  which  I  quote 
in  full,  as  it  is  an  eye-witness  account  of  conditions  found  in 
the  outlying  sections  of  the  States  and  Territories  mentioned. 

I  will  explain  that  the  business  followed  by  the  writer 
of  the  letter  has  for  some  time  caused  him  to  make  trips 
through  the  sections  referred  to,  and  that  the  author  is  con- 
sidered a  very  reliable  person  and  a  good  judge  of  the  mat- 
ters treated  of  in  the  letter: 


AMERICAN  CITIZEN  TELLS  OF  HIS  EXPERIENCES    199 

"Guadalajara,  December  9th,  1915. 

"Will  B.  Davis,  American  Vice  Consul,  City.  Sir: — ^As 
near  as  I  can  remember,  I  left  this  city  on'  the  second  day  of 
October  last  in  company  with  my  partner,  a  Mexican,  for  the 
State  of  Michoacan  to  purchase  goods.  We  had  no  definite 
program  as  to  exactly  what  sections  we  would  visit,  leaving 
this  to  the  last  moment  for  decision  in  view  of  local  condi- 
tions. 

"From  this  city  we  went  to  Ocotlan  in  this  state;  from 
thence  to  La  Palma,  crossing  Lake  Chapala  at  night,  and 
from  La  Palma  to  Sahuayo,  Michoacan,  on  donkey  back, 
staying  there  for  two  days,  getting  the  lay  of  the  land ;  finally 
deciding  to  go  on  to  Los  Reyes,  State  of  Michoacan. 

"In  making  this  latter  trip — which  we  did  on  the  backs 
of  donkeys — three  days  were  consumed  altogether,  passing 
from  Carrancista  lines  to  territory  controlled  by  the  Villistas ; 
but  we  did  not  meet  any  outposts  of  either  faction  on  the 
way. 

"On  arriving  at  Tirguindin  we  heard  that  there  was  a 
Carrancista  force  there,  and  we  did  not  dare  to  go  into  the 
town,  but  went  around  it  arriving  at  Los  Reyes  on  October 
the  9th,  late  in  the  evening.  Here  we  could  not  find  lodgings 
in  any  of  the  hotels  or  masones,  but  finally  found  a  man  who 
lived  in  the  suburbs  of  the  town  who  took  us  in. 

"Next  day  we  started  out  hunting  something  to  buy.  As 
soon  as  we  had  well  entered  the  business  section  of  the  town, 
a  soldier  came  up  and  advised  us  that  the  Villa  General  there 
wanted  to  see  us;  and  so  we  went  to  that  officer's  head- 
quarters. This  general  we  found  to  be  an  ex-shoemaker  from 
Guadalajara,  one  Louis  V.  Gutierrez,  known  among  his 
people  as  'El  Chivo  Encantado.'  As  luck  would  have  it,  it 
turned  out  that  he  was  an  intimate  friend  of  my  partner — so 
we  visited  with  him  for  about  two  hours. 

"The  result  of  our  confab  was,  that  we  were  requested,  in 


200    AMERICAN  CITIZEN  TELLS  OF  HIS  EXPERIENCES 

a  rather  pointed  manner,  to  do  business  with  him ;  and  he  in- 
formed us  that  he  could  sell  us  anything  we  wanted,  and  in 
any  quantity.  Indeed,  he  expressed  himself  as  being  the 
owner  of  everything  we  could  see  with  a  telescope  from  the 
highest  mountain  in  the  state. 

"There  was  no  help  for  it,  and  so  we  turned  over  to  him 
7,500.00  pesos  Villa  money — which  we  wanted  to  get  rid  of — 
in  exchange  for  three  tons  of  sugar.  He  gave  us  passports 
for  ourselves  and  merchandise. 

"Now  I  will  go  back  a  little  and  describe  as  near  as  I 
can  the  condition  of  the  country  through  which  we  passed  on 
this  trip. 

"The  Guaracha  hacienda,  near  Tinguindin,  had  been  con- 
fiscated by  the  Carrancistas,  but  at  the  time  we  went  through, 
the  owner  had  made  some  arrangements  with  the  Carrancis- 
tas, and  had  been  put  in  possession  once  more.  In  the  mean- 
time, everything  on  the  hacienda  had  been  confiscated — at 
least  there  had  not  been  anything  left  in  sight,  worth  bragg- 
mg  about.  However,  there  has  been  considerable  corn  planted 
on  this  hacienda,  which  presented  the  best  appearance  of  any 
that  I  have  seen  this  year  in  the  course  of  my  travels ;  and  if 
this  hacienda  is  left  alone,  there  may  be  a  little  corn  harvested 
from  it.    Their  crop  of  sugar  cane  also  looked  promising. 

"The  next  large  hacienda  through  which  we  passed  was 
the  Santa  Clara.  This  property  had  been  completely  looted 
— absolutely  nothing  left.  However,  there  has  been  planted 
on  it  a  little  sugar  cane,  and  that  is  about  all.  This  hacienda 
has  been  cleaned  out  by  all  factions,  including  the  Zapatistas 
under  General  Figuroa. 

"On  all  the  trip — after  leaving  the  town  of  Ocotlan — we 
had  great  difficulty  in  getting  anything  to  eat;  the  country 
has  been  skinned;  some  days  we  could  get  only  one  meal  of 
tortillas  and  beans.  The  peon  class  is  completely  up  against 
it — with  very  little  to  eat,  and  less  to  cover  themselves  with. 


AMERICAN  CITIZEN  TELLS  OF  HIS  EXPERIENCES    201 

The  latest  type  in.  men's  wear  through  this  section  of  the 
country  I  found  to  be  a  gunny-sack  with  holes  cut  for  neck 
and  arms ;  and  as  far  as  pants  were  concerned,  they  resembled 
more  a  gee  string  than  anything  else. 

"On  receiving  our  Villa  money,  General  Gutierrez  pre- 
sented us  with  an  order  on  the  San  Sebastian  hacienda  for 
the  sugar.  This  hacienda  is  a  big  sugar  proposition,  with 
some  rice.  First,  it  was  confiscated  by  General  Figuroa  of 
the  Zapatistas.  He  took  off  everything  that  he  could  sell  or 
otherwise  get  away  with.  Then  came  the  Villistas,  and  they 
took  command  of  the  situation  with  the  result  that  there  was 
quite  a  lot  of  friction  between  the  Villistas  and  Zapatistas 
over  the  "ownership"  of  the  goods  belonging  to  the  property. 

"Well,  we  presented  our  order  and  received  the  sugar 
from  the  Villista  forces  in  charge,  and  started  back  to  Los 
Reyes  with  our  pack  train.  On  reaching  this  point  we  were 
confronted  with  an  ordei  given  by  General  Cintora,  a  Villista, 
in  command  of  this  section  of  the  country,  which  deprived  us 
of  our  mule  train  and  left  us  with  our  sugar  dumped  and  with 
no  possibility  of  hiring  another  pack  train,  as  every  mule  and 
donkey  in  this  section  had  already  been  pressed  into  service 
by  the  Villistas. 

"My  partner  immediately  started  out  to  hunt  another 
pack  train  to  move  our  stuff,  while  I  remained  to  take  care 
of  it. 

"The  Villistas  treated  me  fine,  even  offering  me  money 
if  I  should  be  in  need  of  it,  for  expenses ;  and  General  Cintora 
offered  to  put  me  up  in  his  hotel,  which  favor  I  declined  with 
thanks. 

"About  the  third  day,  small  parties  of  Villistas  began 
leaving  the  town,  after  having  sent  all  the  goods  and  mer- 
chandise they  could  pack  down  further  into  the  hot  country; 
and  as  General  Gutierrez  intimated,  they  needed  it  to  get 
arms  and  ammunition  with. 


202    AMERICAN  CITIZEN  TELLS  OF  HIS  EXPERIENCES 

"Then — when  least  expected — at  2 :30  P.  M.,  there  began 
an  attack  on  the  town  by  the  Carrancistas. 

"The  sentry,  posteO.  in  a  church  belfry,  was  taking  his 
siesta  while  on  duty  and  the  Carrancistas  had  gotten  within 
half  a  block  of  the  Cintora  headquarters  before  being  dis- 
covered, and  began  shooting  into  the  hotel.  General  Cintora 
happened  to  be  out,  looking  over  some  stock,  but  the  rest  of 
his  staff  were  laying  around  the  place.  But  they  managed  to 
get  over  a  back  fence  and  into  the  cane  fields  while  a  captain 
was  at  the  barracks.  This  captain  gathered  a  handful  of 
men  and  opened  fire  around  the  corners  until  the  rest  of  their 
men  had  gotten  out  of  town  in  safety  and  with  their  horses, 
arms  and  ammunition,  then  abandoning  the  town  to  the  Ca- 
rrancistas under  Colonels  Zapeda  and  Figuero. 

"These  parties  remained  in  town  until  about  10  A.  M. 
the  next  day,  when  they  too  left  very  suddenly. 

"At  12  P.  M.  another  section  of  the  same  party  under 
Colonel  Bonifacio  Moreno  came  in. 

"Trouble  started  immediately  for  everybody.  Parties 
were  sent  out,  and  they  commenced  looting  the  town.  Every- 
thing in  sight  was  taken. 

"Some  of  the  principal  merchants  were  thrown  in  jail, 
among  them  were  two  Spaniards;  and  I  was  sent  for,  by  a 
captain  and  12  armed  soldiers,  and  escorted  to  headquarters. 
I  thought  I  was  in  for  a  jail  sentence  also ;  but  I  put  up  a  big 
line  of  talk  and  escaped  with  a  good  round  of  'cusing  out'; 
yet  I  was  forced  to  give  up  all  my  sugar,  156.00  pesos  Ca- 
rranza  money,  and  all  my  clothes  except  what  I  had  on  my 
back. 

"Moreno  threatened  to  shoot  the  merchants,  but  they 
arranged  with  him  by  giving  up  all  their  goods  and  escaped 
with  their  lives  in  that  way.  The  Spaniards,  besides  giving 
up  their  goods  and  spending  three  days  in  jail,  had  each  to 
pay  over  a  money  consideration  besides. 


AMERICAN  CITIZEN  TELLS  OF  HIS  EXPERIENCES    203 

"All  of  these  people — as  well  myself — were  accused  of 
being  Villa  spies,  and  working-  with  the  Villa  forces  in  this 
country.  This — we  all  understood — was  only  a  pretext  for 
looting  from  us  all  we  had. 

"After  they  had  collected  all  the  goods  they  could  in  the 
city,  they  started  in  rounding  up  all  the  stock  and  pack  ani- 
mals they  could  find,  and  everything  else,  incidentally  taking 
all  the  sugar  and  rice  which  I  had  left  on  the  San  Sebastian 
hacienda.  They  so  broke  up  the  machinery  of  the  sugar  mill 
that  no  grindings  of  this  year's  crops  can  be  done.  This  was 
on  October  15th  and  16th. 

"I  was  forced  to  remain  in  this  town  about  three  weeks, 
until  things  cleared  up  a  bit,  as  the  Carrancistas  were  robbing 
and  looting  on  all  the  roads  between  Los  Reyes  and  La 
Palma. 

"During  this  time,  all  the  priests  were  in  hiding;  and 
there  was  a  reign  of  terror. 

"There  were  three  so-called  battles  right  in  the  town 
during  this  time — sometimes  the  attacks  being  made  by  the 
Villistas,  and  sometimes  by  the  Zapatistas — but  they  were 
all  pretty  warm.  In  all  these  attacks  there  were  three  men 
killed. 

As  before  stated,  my  partner  had  left  to  hunt  up  other 
pack  animals.  He  had  reached  Sahuayo  without  being  able 
to  find  any;  and  while  he  was  at  that  place,  a  crowd  of  Ca- 
rrancistas took  it;  and  hearing  of  his  presence  in  the  town, 
sent  an  officer  to  arrest  him. 

"My  partner  put  up  a  blufif  to  the  efifect  that  there  did 
not  exist  a  petty  officer  who  could  arrest  him  alone.  (He  had 
just  been  informed  that  he  had  been  denocnced  as  a  Villa 
spy.)  The  bluff  worked;  and  while  the  officer  had  gone  back 
for  help,  seeing  what  he  was  up  against,  my  partner  went 
over  the  back  wall  into  a  field  where — as  luck  would  have  it 
— there  was  an  old  broken  down  mare  grazing.     By  making 


204    AMERICAN  CITIZEN  TELLS  OF  HIS  EXPERIENCES 

use  of  his  belt  for  a  bridle,  he  started  on  this  old  mare  for 
La  Palma;  and  just  as  he  struck  the  road,  ran  right  into  the 
same  officer,  with  three  more  men,  coming  for  him.  They 
ordered  him  to  stop,  but  he  could  not  see  it  that  way  and 
kept  going.  They  opened  fire  on  him  at  about  ten  yards 
distant  at  first,  and  later  started  in  pursuit  with  a  body  of 
mounted  soldiers  and  chased  him  all  the  way  to  La  Palma. 
At  La  Palma  he  found  some  of  our  Villa  friends  from  Los 
Reyes — a  Coronel  Louis  Arce  in  command  of  a  small  body  of 
men.  My  partner  advised  this  coronel  that  the  Carrancistas 
were  hot  on  his  trail  and  counselled  him  to  take  to  the  hills 
at  once;  but  Arce  said  that  he  could  hold  them.  My  partner 
saw  that  he  was  up  against  it  again  and  asked  for  a  gun  and 
amunition  so  that  he  would  not  have  to  pass  in  his  checks 
for  nothing,  and  Arce  gave  them  to  him.  While  they  were 
talking — which  was  close  to  the  wharf — a  gasoline  launch 
from  Ocotlan  came  in,  when  my  partner  turned  the  gun,  etc., 
back  to  the  Villistas  and  got  right  out  on  the  launch.  Five 
minutes  later  the  Carrancistas  arrived,  found  Arce  on  the 
wharf  and  shot  him  right  there  after  he  and  his  men  had 
surrendered.  His  body  was  thrown  on  the  back  of  a  donkey 
and  carried  back  to  Sahuayo,  where  it  was  thrown  in  the 
principal  plaza  and  left  there  in  the  broiling  sun  for  three 
days ! ! 

"The  story  of  my  partner  I  picked  up  on  my  way  back 
to  La  Palma  from  several  sources.  I  came  part  of  the  way  on 
foot,  stopping  in  the  fields  over  night,  and  was  careful  not  to 
be  too  much  in  evidence.  One  night  I  struck  a  bunch  of 
General  Gutierrez'  men,  and  they  confirmed  the  report  of  the 
denouncement  made  against  my  partner  and  the  particulars 
as  to  the  killing  of  Arce.  Also  in  Sahuayo  I  was  told  on  good 
authority  that  we  had  both  been  denounced  there  as  Villistas, 
and  that  we  were  both  wanted  as  spies. 

"On  my  arrival  at  Guadalajara  I  again  found  my  partner, 


AMERICAN  CITIZEN  TELLS  OF  HIS  EXPERIENCES    205 

and  he  confirmed  the  truthfulness  of  all  the  details  of  his 
story  as  I  had  picked  them  up  on  my  way  back. 

"All  through  that  country  I  found  things  in  a  very  bad 
way.  Around  Los  Reyes  they  will  not  have  hardly  any  corn 
to  gather,  as  the  soldiers  have  been  pasturing  their  horses  on 
the  growing  crops,  and  eating  the  roasting  ears  as  fast  as  the 
grain  formed.  As  far  as  cotton  cloth  is  concerned,  there  is 
none  in  that  section,  and  consequently,  the  poor  are  absolute- 
ly naked.  Such  goods  as  may  be  found  for  sale,  are  priced 
at  figures  which  nobody  can  afford. 

"As  you  may  remember,  I  made  a  trip  to  Tepic  in  June 
last.  That  trip  lasted  three  months;  and  a  great  many  con- 
clusions which  I  formed  while  making  it,  were  confirmed  to 
such  an  extent  by  my  more  journeyings,  that  I  am  fairly  well 
satisfied  on  a  number  of  points. 

"The  trip  to  Tepic  carried  me  through  the  extreme 
northern  part  of  the  State  of  Jalisco,  and  back  to  this  city. 
Through  the  parts  of  Tepic  and  Jalisco,  which  I  have  been 
over,  there  has  not  been  enough  corn  planted  to  carry  the 
people  who  live  on  the  spot,  and  this  is  the  case  in  Michoacan. 

"In  Tepic,  I  mistrusted  that  arms  and  amunition  were 
being  brought  into  the  Territory  in  large  quantities,  in  some 
manner,  via  the  coast  route.  This,  I  am  very  positive,  is 
being  done  via  the  Michoacan  coast.  And  while  General 
Gutierrez  did  not  let  the  cat  completely  out  of  the  sack  in 
his  above  mentioned  conversation  with  me,  the  few  words 
that  he  did  say,  together  with  what  I  was  able  to  pick  up 
from  several  pack  trains  that  came  in  from  the  hot  country, 
I  am  pretty  sure  that  there  were  arms  and  amunition  coming 
in  in  large  quantities  to  the  Villista  and  Zapatista  forces  from 
somewhere,  and  the  source  must  be  amply  stocked. 

"I  have  also  found  that  the  general  sentiment  among  the 
civilian  population  is  very  strong  in  favor  of  the  Villista 
cause.    Also,  from  what  I  have  seen,  and  heard  talked,  there 


206    AMERICAN  CITIZEN  TELLS  OF  HIS  EXPERIENCES 

IS  some  strong  organization  back  of  the  Villa  movement. 
They  are- well  armed,  and  have  quantities  of  amunition,  both 
in  Tepic  and  Michoacan;  v^'hile  the  State  of  Jalisco  is  over- 
ran with  Villa  soldiers  in  small  parties.  While  I  would  not 
care  to  make  a  statement  as  to  the  number  of  Villista  soldiers 
in  the  field,  by  what  I  have  seen,  I  know  that  they  are  strong 
enough  to  make  a  fight — a  force  to  be  reckoned  with  in  the 
future;  and  it  would  not  surprise  me  to  yet  see  them  force 
Carranza  to  the  last  ditch. 

"In  knocking  around  the  way  I  have  for  the  past  year,  I 
have  been  impressed  with  a  number  of  things,  the  principal 
one  being  the  difference  in  the  deportment  of  the  contending 
factions  towards  the  civilian  public. 

"Everywhere  that  I  have  been,  I  found  the  Carrancista 
forces  were  dreaded  by  all  classes  alike,  as  they  will  loot  a 
poor  peone  out  of  everything  he  has  as  quick  as  they  will 
take  what  they  can  get  from  a  rich  man.  Everybody  is  the 
same  to  them,  and  they  will  take  it  all,  regardless,  and  by 
force. 

"The  Villistas  are  well  liked  by  the  common  people,  and 
I  have  personally  seen  a  peone  go  hungry,  to  give  his  dinner 
to  some  Villista  soldier. 

"My  experience  with  the  Zapatistas  in  and  about  Mexico 
City  has  been,  that  they  will  beg  a  nickle  with  which  to  buy 
something  to  eat,  but  not  take  it  by  force. 

"All  factions  are  stealing  mules  and  horses,  and  killing 
all  kinds  of  beef  cattle  that  they  can  get  hold  of;  and  in  some 
parts  of  the  country  that  I  have  visited,  this  is  getting  to  be 
a  serious  question. 

"When  it  comes  to  wanton  destruction,  none  of  them 
compare  with  the  Carrancistas." 

(The  name  of  the  author  of  the  foregoing  letter  is  not 
given,  for  obvious  reasons.     His  home  is  in  Mexico.) 


AMERICANS  COMPLAIN  OF  WANT  OF  PROTECTION  207 

January  29th,  1916. 

Copy  of  a  Letter  from  Americans,  Complaining  of  Want  of 

Protection 

The  following  letter  explains  itself: 

"Dr.  Will  B.  Davis,  American  Vice  Consul,  City.  Sir: — 
We,  the  undersigned,  in  view  of  the  absolute  failure  to  gather 
any  hope  of  relief  from  local  authorities  under  present  con- 
ditions, hereby  appeal  to  you  to  reach  General  Carranza — if 
it  is  possible  for  you  to  do  so — with  the  view  of  inducing  him 
to  command  his  Guadalajara  subordinates  to  furnish  protec- 
tion to  this  community  from  the  universal  system  of  robbery 
that  it  is  being  subjected  to,  and  which  is  increasing  daily, 
both  as  to  numbers  and  importance. 

"We  know  that  both  yourself  and  some  of  the  local  of- 
ficials are  in  full  accord  in  desiring  relief  from  this  state  of 
affairs,  and  therefore  are  loth  to  disturb  you  with  this  com- 
plaint, but  we  feel  so  entirely  helpless  in  the  face  of  prevailing 
conditions  that  we  do  not  know  what  else  to  do. 

"Not  a  house  of  any  kind  in  this  city,  or  its  environs, 
seems  safe  from  forcible  entry  by  armed  soldiers  at  any  time 
it  may  suit  them  to  do  so. 

"The  houses  of  nearly  all  the  colonial  sections  are  being 
abandoned  by  their  occupants. 

"Out  at  Colonia  Seattle  alone,  where  there  are  as  many 
as  fifty  beautiful  homes,  belonging  mainly  to  Americans,  all 
have  had  to  be  abandoned. 

"And  in  the  very  heart  of  the  city,  robberies  are  being 
perpetrated  with  apparent  immunity: 

"We  had  hoped  that  with  the  recent  great  number  of  re- 
inforcements of  the  soldiery  here  some  relief  from  these  rob- 
beries would  be  afforded,  but  instead,  they  are  growing  more 
numerous. 


208         KIDNAPPING  OF  AN  AMERICAN  BY  BANDITS 

"(Signed),  By  a  Dozen  Good  American  Citizens  (names 
withheld)." 

I  have  delayed  sending  above  letter,  hoping  to  be  able  to 
report  something  more  favorable  as  to  the  situation  it  com- 
plains of;  but  until  the  promised  return  of  General  Dieguez 
to  the  post  of  Governor,  I  fear  things  will  continue  as  they 
are. 

That  these  robberies  are  being  perpetrated  by  the  Ca- 
rranza  officers  and  soldiers,  there  cannot  be  any  doubt,  as  any 
one  else  found  stealing  would  be  shot  and  none  but  the  mili- 
tary are  permitted  to  roam  about  at  night. 

And  the  greater  the  number  of  officers  and  soldiers  there 
are  in  the  city,  the  greater  te  number  of  robberies  committed. 

/  February  2nd,  1916. 

The  Kidnapping  of  Two  Americans  by  Mexican  Bandits  for 

Ransom 

I  am  herewith  sending  you  a  copy  of  a  letter  just  re- 
ceived at  the  Consulate,  from  Dr.  Geo.  E.  Purnell,  which  ex- 
plains itself: 

"Guadalajara,  February  1st,  1916. 

"Dr.  W.  B.  Davis,  U.  S.  Consul,  City.  Sir:— We  beg  to 
herewith  submit  a  copy  of  te  principal  contents  of  Mr.  J.  E. 
^arton's  letter  to  us,  just  received. 

"Mr.  Barton  is  our  mine  manager  in  Ameca,  and  under 
date  of  January  31st  he  writes:  *The  Magistral  Mine  was  held 
up  and  cleaned  out  on  the  night  of  the  29th,  and  the  Ameri- 
cans from  there  got  into  Ameca  last  night. 

"'Yesterday  morning,  (30th),  Mr.  Pyle  asked  me  to  take 
a  little  ride  with  him.  We  left  town  at  10  in  the  morning, 
going  toward  the  mine ;  we  had  gotten  only  a  short  way  from 
town,  when  robbers  held  us  up.  They  made  us  prisoners  and 
took  us  to  the  mountain,  demanding  4,000.00  pesos  for  our 


LETTER  FROM  D.  M.  PYLE,  RECENTLY  KIDNAPPED  209 

lives.  We  persuaded  them  to  reduce  the  ransom  to  2500 
pesos. 

"  'They  afterwards  turned  me  loose  to  come  back  to 
town  for  the  money,  telling  me  that  if  I  did  not  return  by 
5  P.  M.  they  would  kill  Mr.  Pyle.  So  I  got  a  rush  on  my- 
self, and  got  to  town  and  went  rustling  up  everything  I  could, 
and  succeeded  in  finally  getting  together  2,500  pesos,  and 
got  it  to  them  at  5  o'clock,  and  they  let  Mr.  Pyle  come  back 
to  town. 

"They  took  everything  we  had  With  us — both  our 
watches  and  riding  animals.  Mr.  Pyle  got  into  town  at  9  that 
night. 

"It  is  impossible  to  do  anything  more  now,  and  I  am  not 
going  to  try  to  go  to  the  mine  near  here  either,  until  things 
may  clear  up. 

"Things  are  in  a  bad  way  here,  but  I  will  try  to  remain 
until  run  out  again,  as  I  do  not  like  to  quit,  but  have  gotten 
cold  feet  for  trying  to  go  over  the  road  for  a  while." 

Copy  of  a  Letter  from  Mr.  D.  N.  Pyle,  Recently  Kidnapped 
by  Mexican  Bandits. 

I  am  herewith  transmitting  a  copy  of  a  letter  from  Mr. 
D.  M.  Pyle,  a  recently  kidnapped  Aemrican  citizen,  explain- 
ing itself;  letter  dated  February  10th. 

"Dr.  Will  B.  Davis,  Aemrican  Vice  Consul,  Guadalajara. 
Sir:  "Supplementing  my  letter  to  you  of  the  3rd,  I  have  to 
say  that  last  September  our  Company  bought  two  large  haci- 
endas, aggregating  31,000  acres,  situated  in  the  vicinity  of 
Ameca,  50  miles  west  of  Guadalajara. 

"One  of  these  properties  is  three  miles  east  of  Ameca, 
and  the  other,  12  miles  west. 

"I  was  appointed  superintendent  of  these  two  proper- 
ties, and  entered  at  once  on  the  discharge  of  my  duties,  mak- 


210  LETTER  FROM  D.  M.  PYLE,  RECENTLY  KIDNAPPED 

ing  my  headquarters  on  the  Esperanza,  the  property  nearest 
Ameca. 

"Both  properties  were  highly  improved,  and  well  equipped 
for  carrying  on  operations  of  agriculture  on  a  large  scale. 

"During  the  months  of  October,  November  and  December 
of  1915,  there  were  quartered  on  the  Esperanza  hacienda,  300 
soldiers,  feeding  their  horses  on  the  products  of  the  farm — 
pasturing  500  head  of  beef  cattle  on  our  ranges — demanding 
of  me  the  services  of  two  herders,  at  my  expense — dominating 
the  corrals  and  store  rooms — requiring  me  to  provide  sleeping 
apartments  and  meals  for  6  officers,  and  in  addition  I  was  pre- 
sented with  bills  each  week  to  pay  guards  to  protect  (?)  the 
property — and  finally  when  leaving  they  took  fifteen  saddle 
horses  from  the  hacienda. 

"On  the  26th  of  November  I  was  held  up  by  some  rob- 
bers who  demanded  of  me  the  sum  of  400  pesos — or  I  could 
take  the  consequences !  A  compromise  was  made,  and  they 
went  away  with  53  pesos,  apparently  satisfied. 

"I  made  frequent  trips  to  Jayamitla,  the  other  hacienda, 
and  in  the  road  one  day  I  met  five  well  armed  men  whom  I 
thought  to  be  some  of  the  guards  I  was  paying  for,  but  my 
coachman  informed  me  after  we  had  past  them  that  they 
were  bandits.  On  another  occasion  I  met  some  bandits  in 
the  evening  at  the  hacienda.  They  remained  over  night,  but 
in  no  way  molested  me.  That  night,  however,  I  placed  a 
secret  guard  on  watch,  and  provided  a  way  of  escape  for  my- 
self to  the  hills,  in  case  of  an  attack. 

"On  February  1st,  1916,  as  my  Company  was  anxious 
to  know  something  about  some  mining  properties  located  on 
the  Esperanza  tract,  I  arranged  with  Mr.  J.  E.  Barton,  a 
mining  man,  to  make  a  special  trip  with  me  on  Sunday, 
January  30th.  We  left  Ameca  about  10  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing, with  a  mozo  (a  Mexican  servant),  who  was  also  some- 
thing of  a  mining  man,  and  well  acquainted  with  the  prop- 


LETTER  FROM  D.  M.  PYLE,  RECENTLY  KIDNAPPED  211 

erty.  After  having  traveled  about  six  miles  from  town,  we 
turned  to  the  left  and  crossed  the  Ameca  river  at  a  point 
known  as  "malpaso"  (bad  passage),  to  make  a  short  cut  to 
the  mining  properties.  We  had  proceeded  about  fifteen  min- 
utes by  this  road  when  we  saw  four  men  suddenly  mount 
their  horses,  from  behind  a  rock  fence,  and  a  number  of 
others  on  foot,  with  their  guns  trained  on  us.  I  called  Mr. 
Barton's  attention  to  them  and  asked  him  if  he  thought  they 
looked  as  if  they  were  soldiers.  He  answered  that  he 
did  not  know,  but  that  they  looked  as  if  they  were. 
I  said  it  did  not  look  good  to  me — that  I  was  afraid  we 
were  up  against  it.  I  checked  my  horse,  to  think  up 
a  plan  for  evading  contact  with  these  gentry,  when 
Mr.  Barton  said,  "Don't  try  to  go  back,  for  if  we  should, 
and  they  be  bandits,  they  will  fire  on  us."  In  the  mean- 
time the  four  mounted  men  rushed  down  upon  us.  We 
passed  the  time  of  day  with  them,  and  asked  if  there  were 
any  bandits  in  that  section  of  the  country.  They  answered 
by  taking  our  arms  and  searching  our  pockets.  We  were 
then  informed  that  we  were  prisoners,  and  must  go  with 
them  to  the  mountains,  and  be  held  for  a  ransom  of  4,000 
pesos;  very  emphatically  informing  us  at  the  same  time  that 
if  the  money  was  not  in  their  hands  by  5  o'clock  that  even- 
ing, we  would  be  shot.  They  were  very  positive  in  their  de- 
mands, and  exacting  in  manner.  No  amount  of  arguing,  or 
promising,  would  change  their  determination.  After  half  an 
hour,  they  did  agree  to  release  Mr.  Barton  on  the  promise 
that  he  would  have  2,500  pesos  there  by  5  o'clock  that  even- 
ing; and  failing  in  that,  I  was  to  be  shot,  a  sentence  which 
appeared  to  me  to  be  severe,  as  it  was  then  after  11  o'clock, 
and  we  were  two  hours'  ride  from  town.  Mr.  Barton  was 
also  informed  that  if  he  returned  accompanied  by  soldiers,  I 
would  pay  the  penalty  with  my  life.  I  was  then  taken  some 
miles  back  into  the  hills,  to  a  look-out  elevation,  from  where 


212  LETTER  FROM  D.  M.  PYLE,  RECENTLY  KIDNAPPED 

a  plain  view  could  be  had  of  all  approaching  roads.  During 
the  wait,  they  passed  their  time  priming  their  guns,  regu- 
lating sights,  and  replenishing  their  ammunition  belts,  which 
made  the  situation  the  more  distressing  to  me.  The  careless- 
ness with  which  they  handled  their  guns  caused  me  to  fear 
that  I  might  be  shot  accidentally.  Many  plans  of  escape 
passed  through  my  mind,  but  none  seemed  feasible.  I  also 
feared  in  case  Mr.  Barton  returned  with  the  money,  they 
would  release  me,  but  hold  him  for  another  ransom.  Also, 
the  possibility  of  the  mozo  being  robbed;  or  that  he  might 
turn  robber,  and  run  away  with  the  money.  Then  I  feared 
for  the  difficulty  of  Mr.  Barton's  being  able  to  raise  that 
amount  of  money  among  the  only  four  Americans  then  at 
Ameca,  whom  I  knew  had  no  money  on  hand.  Such  reflec- 
tions were  passing  through  my  head  constantly,  keeping  me 
in  a  very  much  troubled  state  of  mind.  In  the  meantime  I 
was  not  offered  anything  to  eat  or  drink.  I  felt  no  hunger, 
but  was  suffering  with  thirst. 

"Mr.  Barton  reached  town  about  1  o'clock,  and  at  once 
told  Mrs.  Erkenbeck  (the  doctor  himself  was  out  of  the  city) 
of  my  being  held  for  ransom  in  the  hills.  About  the  time 
Mr.  Barton  arrived  in  town,  the  news  was  received  about  the 
Magistral  Mining  Company  having  been  robbed,  where  Mr. 
H.  L  Percy  and  wife,  with  George  McCormick,  were  made 
the  victims.  Doctor  Erkenbeck,  who  had  been  called  the 
day  before  to  make  a  professional  visit  to  the  country,  was 
overdue  to  return.  These  two  latter  incidents,  coupled  with 
that  of  mine,  created  considerable  consternation  in  the  vil- 
lage. 

"The  money  was  raised  in  a  few  minutes,  through  the 
activties  of  Mrs.  Erkenbeck,  who  borrowed  it  from  Mexican 
merchants  by  promising  repayment  as  soon  as  I  could  re- 
turn, and  the  mozo  was  dispatched  to  my  relief.  I  was  anx- 
iously watching  the  road,  and  saw  him  as  he  was  coming 


LETTER  FROM  D.  M.  PYLE,  RECENTLY  KIDNAPPED  213 

over  a  hill  some  miles  away.  We  at  once  mounted  our 
horses  and  began  the  descent  of  the  mountain  to  meet  him. 
Our  party  halted  on  an  open  slope  to  provide  against  any 
surprise  from  a  rescue  party,  and  awaited  his  arrival. 

"On  reaching  us  he  was  asked  if  he  had  brought  all  the 
money.  My  feelings  of  relief  were  unsurpassed  when  I  heard 
him  say  that  he  had  all  the  2,500  pesos.  All  the  party,  ex- 
cept two  sentinels,  proceeded  to  count  the  money,  which  per- 
formance occupied  half  an  hour  or  more,  as  they  were  not 
experts  at  the  business  of  handling  money  in  such  large 
quantities. 

"Finally  they  finished,  and  said  I  could  go — that  I  would 
not  be  molested  on  my  return — they  bid  me  *adios,'  each  of 
them  shaking  me  by  the  hand. 

"I  reached  Ameca  about  9  o'clock  that  night,  and  met 
the  good  people  who  had  responded  so  promptly  in  my 
hours  of  distress,  and  whose  kindness,  needless  to  say,  I 
shall  never  forget." 

(Signed)     D.  M.  Pyle." 


214        GENERAL   CARRANZA  VISITS   GUADALAJARA 


CHAPTER  TWENTY-SIX 

CARRANZAISM    UNADULTERATED;    AND    YET 
MORE   CARRANZAISM,   WITH   A  VIM 

February  19th,  1916. 
Visit  of  General  Carranza  to  Guadalajara. 

General  Venustiano  Carranza  and  party  arrived  at 
Guadalajara  on  the  morning  of  February  13th,  1916. 

The  party  consisted  of  General  Carranza  and  Cabinet, 
Generals  Obregon,  Dieguez  and  other  military  officials  and 
staffs,  the  Governors  of  several  States  with  their  respective 
staffs,  a  number  of  newspaper  reporters,  and  last — but  not 
least — Mr.  John  R.  Silliman,  Special  Representative  of  the 
State  Department. 

The  party  left  Guadalajara  on  the  morning  of  the  16th 
for  Colima  and  other  points  south. 

General  Carranza  was  received  here  with  enthusiasm  by 
the  local  military.  State  and  Mnicipal  contingents;  and  to 
the  superficial  observer,  by  the  public  as  well;  but  such  was 
very  far  from  being  actually  the  case;  in  fact,  his  reception 
was  a  "frost'*  insofar  as  the  public  was  concerned. 

General  Carranza  expected  to  arrive  at  Guadalajara  on 
the  12th,  but  by  telegraphic  request  from  acting  Governor 
Berlanga,  the  convoy  delayed  coming  in  until  the  13th,  whil- 
ing  away  the  spare  time — one  day — at  Ocotlan,  50  miles  out. 

The  five  multicolored  triumphal  arches  which  had  been 
erected  along  San  Francisco  street  ,were  very  attractive,  but 
up  to  the  morning  of  the  13th,  the  only  other  decorations  ob- 
servable along  the  announced  line  of  march  were  displayed 
only  by  a  few  foreign  occupants  of  buildings  along  the  way; 
not  a  single  house  occupied  by  Mexicans  was  displaying  to 


GENERAL  CARRANZA  VISITS   GUADALAJARA        215 

view  even  as  much  as  a  national  flag. 

But  at  8:30  A.M.  of  the  13th,  all  the  Mexicans  along 
the  chosen  line  of  march  became  very  busy  putting  up  deco- 
rations on  the  fronts  of  their  buildings;  and  by  9:30  San 
Francisco  street,  from  the  railroad  station  to  the  Plaza  de 
Armes  presented  an  almost  unbroken  line  of  flags  and  bunt- 
ing, giving  the  street  a  gala  appearance. 

This  happened  thus:  On  the  11th — (When  General 
Carranza  was  expected  to  arrive  on  the  12th) — messengers 
were  sent  to  every  house  in  the  center  of  the  city,  more  es- 
pecially to  those  along  the  expected  line  of  march,  with  the 
request  that  they  each  put  up  decorations. 

As  no  decorations  were  visible  on  any  of  the  Mexican 
houses  up  to  the  night  of  the  12th — and  General  Carranza's 
arrival  had  been  delayed  by  telegram  until  the  13th — the 
Mexicans,  seemingly,  from  some  occult  influence,  exercised 
in  some  manner  unknown  to  outsiders,  must  have  under- 
went, during  the  night  of  the  12th,  a  change  of  heart  that 
caused  such  a  bustling  along  the  announced  line  of  march 
on  Sunday  morning,  13th — at  a  time  when  all  business  houses 
were  usually  closed. 

The  facts  about  this  reception — as  only  hinted  at  in  the 
above — were  that  the  Mexicans  had  not  responded  to  the 
first  request  to  decorate  their  buildings  for  the  Carranza  re- 
ception, and  seeing  this,  acting  Governor  Berlanga  tele- 
graphed to  Ocotlan,  and  had  the  Carranza  convoy  detained 
there  one  day.  In  the  meantime  he  had  the  recalcitrant 
Mexican  population  notified  that  if  any  of  their  houses  along 
the  selected  line  of  march  should  not  be  well  decorated  for 
the  reception  of  the  following  day,  that  they  would  be  se- 
verely punished — and  that  was  why  the  Mexicans  were  so 
busy  putting  up  decorations  that  Sunday  morning!  They 
very  well  knew  what  "severely  punished"  meant  in  Mexican 
parlance. 


216     FOREIGNERS  PROHIBITED  OBTAINING  REALTY 

When  the  Secretary  of  the  Consulate — (a  Mexican  ex- 
school  teacher) — had  typewritten  the  foregoing,  he  came  to 
my  desk  and  expressed  himself  as  much  pleased  at  my  truth- 
ful account  of  the  Carranza  reception;  informing  me  at  the 
same  time  that  he  had  typewritten  a  telegram  from  Mr.  Silli- 
man  to  the  Department  which  was  calculated  to  mislead  as 
to  the  real  truth  of  the  matter. 

But  Mr.  Silliman  did  not  know — only  judged  from  sur- 
face appearances — or  was  too  much  of  a  partisan  of  Seiior 
Carranza  (as  George  Corrothers  was  with  Villa)  to  report 
anything  unfavorable  about  his  Mexican  chief,  if  he  could 
avoid  doing  so. 

George  Corrothers  was  too  completely  mesmerized  by 
Villa,  and  Mr.  Silliman  was  too  thoroughly  hypnotized"  by 
Carranza,  for  either  of  them  to  have  been  fit  persons  for 
their  respective  missions.  I  say  this,  because  it  was  my  firm 
conviction,  from  ample  personal  observation.  Yet  at  the 
same  time,  I  entertain  toward  both  of  the  gentlemen  referred 
to,  sentiments  of  high  esteem,  both  for  their  ability  and  hon- 
est purposes  in  life." 

February  21st,  1916. 
Prohibition    of    Foreigners    Obtaining    Realty    Property    in 

Mexico. 

I  am  herewith  enclosing  a  clipping  from  "El  Demo- 
crata,"  the  leading  morning  daily  here,  containing  a  telegram 
from  Colima,  present  whereabouts  of  General  Carranza, 
dated  the  18th  of  this  month,  specifically  prohibiting  all  No- 
taries Public  from  legalizing  transfers  of  realty  to  foreign- 
ers; the  same  having  been  promulgated  after  a  meeting  of 
the  Carranza  Cabinet,  held  aboard  the  Presidential  train  on 
the  road  from  Guadalajara  to  Colima. 

The  main  reasons  given  for  such  action  were  to  protect 
poor  Mexicans  from  transferring  their  properties  to  foreign- 


FOREIGNERS  CONFER  WITH  LOUIS  CABRERA        217 

ers  ,in  exchange  for  the  depreciated  currency  of  the  country. 

But  such  was  not  the  reason  advanced  by  Sefior  Cabrera 
at  a  foreign  business  men's  gathering  on  the  evening  of  the 
14th  (see  letter  dated  March  4,  immediately  following  this). 

When  I  asked  Seiior  Cabrera  at  this  meeting  if  he  had 
studied  the  alien  land  laws  of  Texas,  he  answered  that  he 
had  not;  that  there  was  no  analogy  between  Texas  and  Mex- 
ico; that  Texas  could  pass  and  enforce  any  reasonable  laws 
to  suit  herself  without  foreign  interference,  while  the  Car 
ranza  Government  was  always  hindered  and  embarrassed  in 
everything  it  did  or  did  not  do  by  objections  and  protests 
from  Washington. 

March  4th,  1916. 
Semi-Public   Conference   of   Senor   Cabrera  at   Guadalajara. 

Mr.  Silliman  told  me  he  had  telegraphed  the  Depart- 
ment about  the  meeting  of  Senor  Louis  Cabrera  with  the 
representative  foreign  business  men  of  Guadalajara  recently, 
but  suggested  that  I  write  more  fully  than  he  could  well 
describe  in  a  telegram,  which  I  endeavored  to  do. 

Seiior  Cabrera,  Secretary  of  Hacienda,  met  with  about 
twenty-five  foreign  residents  of  Guadalajara,  whom  I  had 
invited,  with  the  view  of  getting  together  a  representative 
body  of  business  men  who  could  speak  the  English  language, 
including  American,  British,  French  and  German  nationals, 
and  the  visiting  newspaper  men. 

The  meeting  lasted  something  over  two  hours,  and  was 
of  an  entirely  conversational  kind — Sefior  Cabrera  answer- 
ing, insofar  as  he  could,  such  questions  as  were  asked  him. 

The  order  of  the  conversations  was  first,  upon  the  re- 
cent decree  of  General  Carranza  on  the  business  of  dealing 
in  foreign  exchange;  second,  on  that  of  prohibiting  foreign- 
ers from  acquiring  realty  property  in  Mexico;  and  third,  the 
monetary  situation  in  general  and  particularly  with  reference 


218        FOREIGNERS  CONFER  WITH  LOUIS  CABRERA 

to  efforts  to  bring  about  a  more  stable  currency,  and  to  ascer- 
tain from  Sefior  C.  if  the  Government  had  under  considera- 
tion plans  for  the  accomplishment  of  such. 

An  epitome  of  Seiior  Cabrera's  remarks  is  about  as  fol- 
lows : 

As  to  the  first,  that  it  had  not  been  the  purpose  of  the 
decree  to  drive  legitimate  and  established  houses  which  dealt 
in  foreign  exchange  out  of  business,  and  if  such  should  be 
the  effect  of  same — as  all  those  present  seemed  to  think  it 
would  be — the  edict  would  be  amended  so  as  not  to  affect 
them;  that  the  edict  had  been  directed  at  the  so-called  "col- 
lotes"  (curbstone  dealers),  who  had  no  fixed  places  of  busi- 
ness— paid  no  taxes — and  who  had  become  especially  ob- 
noxious to  the  Government. 

As  to  the  second,  that  the  edict  was  not  aimed  at  for- 
eigners— although  he  could  see  how  it  must  operate  against 
them — but  at  Mexicans,  and  especially  those  who  were  resid- 
ing abroad,  and  were  trying  to  protect  their  respective  prop- 
erties by  passing  titles  of  same  to  foreigners,  the  majority  of 
such  transactions — at  least  as  the  Government  construed 
them — were  neither  more  nor  less  than  pretended  transfers, 
commonly  known  as  "wash  sales."  My  impression  was  that 
he  did  not  promise — at  least  soon — any  relief  from  this  edict. 

As  to  the  third,  he  said  that  he  was  hopeful — adding 
"remember,  I  say  I  am  'hopeful'  " — that  by  or  before  the  end 
of  a  month's  time,  to  be  able  to  promulgate  something  that 
will  tend  to  restore  the  currency  of  the  country  to  a  more 
stable  basis. 

By  a  canvass  made  after  the  meeting — when  those  who 
had  attended  had  had  time  to  reflect — I  found  that  a  majority 
of  the  business  men  entertained  impressions  something 
after  this  order:  That  barring  an  apparently  deep-rooted 
prejudice  against  foreigners  in  general,  and  Americans  in 
particular,  the  Government  was  disposed  in  the  main  to  be 


AUTHOR'S  TALK  WITH  SECRETARY  CABRERA      219 

fair;  but  that  the  people  at  the  helm  of  state  were  woefully 
incapable  in  themselves,  of  successfully  grappling  with  such 
intricate  and  complicated  situations;  and  the  business  men 
were  apprehensive  that  there  was  little  hope  to  see  anything 
like  order  brought  out  of  the  present  chaos  of  affairs,  in  the 
reasonably  near  future. 

I  had  several  private  chats  with  Sefior  Cabrera  after 
this,  and  on  one  occasion  he  claimed  that  there  would  not 
be  any  difficulty  in  maintaining  the  value  of  their  paper 
money  if  the  public  would  only  show  confidence. 

I  answered  that  I  thought  it  was  public  confidence  that 
gave  value  to  the  paper  money  of  any  Government;  and 
then  asked  him  how  it  was  that  his  Government  could  expect 
the  business  public  to  have  confidence  while  the  Government 
did  not  seem  to  be  trying  to  do  anything  to  protect  the  in- 
vestor. 

I  put  this  to  Senor  Cabrera:  Suppose  that  today,  while 
your  money  is  worth  twenty-five  pesos  to  one  American 
dollar,  you  should  lend  me  100,000.00  pesos,  at  ten  per  cent 
interest — you  know  that  today  your  loan  would  have  ex- 
actly the  same  purchasing  power  as  4,000.00  American  dol- 
lars— and  at  the  end  of  a  year — after  your  money  had  de- 
preciated to  60  to  1 — I  should  pay  you  the  principal  and  in- 
terest due,  i.  e.,  110,000.00  pesos  in  your  currency — do  you 
not  see  that  you  would  not  be  getting  back  as  much  as  one- 
half  the  value  of  the  principal — (to  say  nothing  of  the  in- 
terest)— of  your  loan? — or,  that  the  110,000.00  pesos  wuold 
not  have  the  purchasing  power  in  your  own  market  by  one- 
half  that  the  100,000.00  pesos  had  on  the  day  you  loaned  it 
to  me? 

Sefior  C.  rejoined  that  to  compel  the  payment  of  con- 
tracts to  be  made  according  to  their  value  in  foreign  money 
on  the  day  of  contract,  would  mix  things  up  so  that  no  one 
could  tell  "where  he  was  at,"  or  words  to  that  effect. 


220     KIND  OF  GOVERNMENT  RECOGNIZED  BY  U.  S. 

I  told  him  that  any  one  could  ascertain  in  a  very  few 
minutes  what  the  prevailing  price  of  exchange  had  been  on 
any  given  day  for  years  passed;  and  that  to  avoid  any  pos- 
sible confusion — and  to  eliminate  all  foreign  influence  at  the 
same  time — all  contracts  could  have  their  value  in  Mexican 
hidalgos   (Mexican  gold),  expressed  on  their  face. 

He  said  they  had  been  studying  on  some  such  plan,  and 
that  in  a  short  time  he  thought  they  would  be  able  to  over- 
come present  business  embarrassments. 

But  they  never  did  anything  looking  to  any  such  ends — 
the  Government  went  right  on  forcing  the  public  to  accept 
their  depreciated — and  depreciating — currency  until  it  fell  be- 
low the  price  of  the  paper  on  which  it  was  printed,  when 
perforce  the  country  had  to  go  on  a  purely  metallic  basis. 

It  was  common  during  those  times  for  people  to  pay  off 
debts  which  had  been  contracted  during  normal  times — or 
when  exchange  was  two  Mexican  pesos  to  one  American 
dollar — in  revolutionary  money  which  could  be  bought  at 
from  25-200  Mexican  for  one  American;  and  instead  of  try- 
ing to  do  something  to  prevent  such  injustices,  the  Govern- 
ment was  encouraging  every  scoundrel  in  the  country  who 
would,  to  take  advange  of  the  opportunity  to  thus  discharge 
their  obligations — and  then  pretended  to  not  understand  why 
the  business  public  held  back  from  making  investments ! ! 

And  this  was  the  banditry  Government  that  Washington 
recognized — and  this  Sefior  Cabrera  was  credited  by  the 
Carrancista  Government  with  possessing  the  "brains"  of 
their  "Cabinet." 

Pobre  Mexico!! 

March  7th,  1916. 
Echoes  of  General  Carranza's  Visit  to  Guadalajara. 

After  having  listened  to  what  might  be  termed  the 
echoes  of  General  Carranza's  visit  to  Guadalajara,  as  heard 


ECHOES  OF  CARRANZA'S  VISIT  TO  GUADALAJARA   221 

in  the  comments  made  by  the  general  public,  the  most  uni- 
versally expressed  were  about  as  follows : 

First,  that  General  Carranza  seems  to  have  a  very  de- 
cided leaning  to  that  class  of  the  genius  homo  who  are  said 
to  never  change  their  mind,  and  rather  pride  themselves  in 
the  possession  of  this  faculty. 

Second,  that  he  has  called  about  himself  a  Cabinet  com- 
posed of  comparatively  young  and  inexperienced  advisers 
of  an  ability  which,  to  call  mediocre — even  from  a  Mexican 
point  of  view — would  be  to  indulge  in  flattery. 

Third,  that  if  the  Secretary  of  Hacienda,  Serior  Cabrera, 
who  is  openly  credited  by  all  the  other  members  as  possess- 
ing the  brains  of  the  Cabinet,  really  enjoys  a  monopoly  of 
this  faculty,  then  Mexico  is  indeed  in  a  very  bad  way  of 
being  early  relieved  of  her  present  multifarious  embarrass- 
ments. 

Fourth,  that  the  fact  that  General  Carranza  is  apparently 
only  seriously  occupied  in  diverting  himself  by  making  pro- 
longed trips  over  the  country,  while  the  so-called  "brains"  of 
his  Cabinet  goes  off  on  a  four  weeks'  trip  to  attend  the  wed- 
ding festivities  of  General  Obregon,  at  a  time  when  all  the 
economic  affairs  of  the  Republic  are  in  such  a  deplorable 
condition,  is  not  calculated  to  engender  confidence  on  the 
part  of  the  general  public;  more  especially  when  nearly  all 
of  Carranza's  most  recent  periodical  edicts  have  been  seen 
to  have  the  effect  of  making  matters  worse,  instead  of  bet- 
tering them. 

Fifth,  that  while  among  all  classes  and  nationalities  of 
the  civilian  public  there  is  a  great  diversity  of  opinion  as  to 
where  to  place  the  blame  for  all  the  calamities  that  have  be- 
fell Mexico  during  the  past  few  years,  many  charge  it  all  to 
Washington,  upon  the  principle,  I  would  presume,  of  the 
Mexican  penchant  for  always  wanting  to  shift  the  blame  of 
their  own  shortcomings  onto  the  shoulders  of  others. 


222      CONSULAR  CORPS  VISITS  GENERAL  CARRANZA 

I  have  gathered  and  compiled  the  foregoing  in  the  sense 
of  a  faithful  reporter,  without  regard  to  my  personal  convic- 
tions; yet  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that  it  is  my  personal  be- 
lief that  Washington  is  responsible  for  the  present  state  of 
Carranzaism  in  Mexico. 

During  the  time  of  General  Carranza's  stay  at  Guadala- 
jara— altogether  about  six  weeks — the  local  Consular  Corps 
called  on  him  in  a  body;  and  as  usual,  all  insisted  that  I 
should  act  as  spokesman. 

We  were  received  very  courteously  by  General  Carranza, 
who,  after  the  usual  amenities,  appeared  to  strike  an  attitude 
as  if  to  say,  well,  Gentlemen,  I  am  ready  to  hear  your  ex- 
pressions in  praise  of  what  I  am  and  what  I  represent,  etc., 
etc. 

But  I  could  not  think  of  much  to  say.  I  knew  what  was 
expected — such  as  a  profuse  indulgence  in  a  lot  of  grandilo- 
quent panegyrics  on  the  accomplishments  of  his  Carranza- 
ship;  emphasizing  the  profound  wisdom  displayed  in  his 
every  act,  the  universally  recognized  nobility  of  his  pur- 
poses— his  unequalled  feats  of  patriotism  which  had  been  the 
cause  of  all  eyes  being  focused  upon  him  as  the  savior  and 
the  hope  of  the  downtrodden  people — their  hero  and  their 
light  to  call  them  from  their  present  hopeless  state  of  chaos 
to  guide  them  back  to  paths  of  peace  and  prosperity — and  a 
lot  more  of  such  stuflf — but  it  was  yebond  me  to  do  it. 

After  expressing  our  wish  for  the  future  peace  and  pros- 
perity of  the  Mexican  people,  we  took  advantage  of  the  op- 
portunity to  say  that  our  visit  was  purely  one  of  courtesy; 
and  that  as  we  felt  sure  the  affairs  of  State  were  pressing,  we 
would  not  further  impose  ourselves  on  his  valuable  time,  or 
words  to  that  effect,  and  took  our  departure. 

Mr.  Silliman  afterwards  told  me  that  "the  Old  Man,"  as 
he  was  pleased  to  refer  to  General  Carranza,  expressed  him- 


NEWS  OF  PERSHING'S  EXPEDITION  RECEIVED      223 

self  as  having  expected  that  more  would  have  been  said  on 
the  occasion  of  our  visit. 

Some  of  the  members  of  the  Consular  Corps  also  thought 
my  remarks  were  too  brief. 

But  what  more  was  there  to  say? 

March  10th,  1916. 
News   of  the  Pershing  Punitive   Expedition   Reaches   Guad- 
alajara. 

It  was  along  about  this  time  that  we  were  receiving 
code  messages  about  the  Pershing  expedition  into  Mexico, 
which,  coupled  with  frequent  interruptions  of  means  of  com- 
munication, caused  the  situation  to  take  on  more  gloomy 
aspects  again — for  those  who  found  themselves  down  in 
Mexico. 

It  was  also  about  these  times  that  Mr.  James  Linn 
Rodgers  was  sent  to  supersede  Mr.  Silliman,  with  Carranza, 
which  will  explain  why  I  afterwards  had  some  correspond- 
ence with  Mr.  R. 

Nevertheless,  I  kept  on  preparing  reports  of  the  progress 
of  affairs  to  send  out  whenever  I  could,  as  on  former  similar 
occasions. 

Decree   of   General   Carranza,   Prohibiting   Merchants   From 
Closing  Their  Houses 

April  3rd,  1916. 

I  am  hereinbelow  giving  you  my  translation  of  a  part  of 
a  recent  edict  issued  by  General  Carranza  to  the  Governors 
of  States  on  above  subject : 

"It  has  become  known  to  the  office  of  the  Chief  Execu- 
tive that  in  various  parts  of  the  Republic — and  under  the  pre- 
text of  the  low  value  of  our  money — some  merchants  pretend 
to  close  temporarily  their  establishments,  or  suspend  oper- 
ations. 

"In  respect  to  this,  and  for  the  purpose  of  avoiding  a  par- 


224  CARRANZA'S  DECREE  AGAINST  BUSINESS  HOUSES 

alyzation  of  commerce,  you  will  decree  measures  conducive 
to  the  end  that, 

"All  mercantile  establishments  which  close  their  doors 
to  the  public  temporarily — or  suspend  operations  under  any 
pretext — shall  remain  permanently  closed;  that  their  licenses 
will  be  withdrawn  positively  and  irrevocably;  such  establish- 
ments will  be  taken  possession  of  by  the  Government's  agents 
at  once,  their  stocks  will  be  inventoried,  and  offered  for  pub- 
lic sale. 

"The  inventories  of  the  merchandise  of  such  establish- 
ments shall  be  made,  in  all  cases,  in  the  presence  of  the  mer- 
chant or  owner,  or  of  such  person  as  such  merchant  may  de- 
signate. 

"In  applying  the  operations  of  this  edict  to  foreign  mer- 
chants, the  inventory  should  be  taken  in  the  presence  of  the 
Consul  of  the  country  of  which  such  merchant  may  be  a  citi- 
zen, or  of  such  person  as  such  Consul  may  designate. 

"The  merchandise  so  inventoried  shall  be  sold  to  the  pub- 
lic, in  the  same  establishment,  and  under  the  directions  of  the 
Presidente  Municipal,  delivering  the  net  proceeds  of  same 
to  the  owner  of  the  merchandise. 

"Also,  please  have  published  in  your  jurisdiction,  that 
the  Constitutionalist  paper  money  now  in  circulation  will  con- 
tinue in  circulation  until  the  31st  of  July,  as  legal  tender  for 
all  transactions,  and  will  be  received  in  aboslute  manner  in 
all  payments  to  Federal  and  Local  Authorities,  even  when 
(after)   the  new  paper  money  may  be  in  circulation." 

I  have  to  say  in  regard  to  the  above  decree,  that  the  pro- 
prietor of  the  American  Drug  Store  here,  Mr.  H.  R.  Corn- 
forth,  closed  his  establishment  over  six  months  ago,  and  has 
recently  returned  to  the  States.  I  think  at  the  time  of  clos- 
ing, he  voluntarily  renounced  his  license. 

There  may  be  other  closures  of  houses  under  the  pro- 
tection of  this  Consulate,  and  I  therefore  asked  the  Depart- 


CARRANZA'S  DECREE  AGAINST  BUSINESS  HOUSES  225 

ment  of  State  as  to  how  it  wished  I  should  proceed  in  the 
event  an  attempt  should  be  made  to  carry  out  the  provisions 
of  this  edict  against  any  such,  but  so  far  have  not  heard  from 
Washington  on  the  subject. 

The  German  Drug  Store,  (probably  the  largest  drug  es- 
tablishment in  the  city,)  just  opposite  the  Consulate,  on  San 
Francisco  St.,  closed  its  doors  about  a  week  ago,  on  account 
of  the  following:  A  customer  offered  in  payment  of  a  pur- 
chase a  bill  which  the  proprietor  refused  to  accept.  The  ag- 
grieved customer  reported  the  matter  to  the  Presidente  Mu- 
nicipal, who  fined  the  druggist  five  hundred  pesos  for  having 
committed  the  offense.  When  the  druggist  offered  in  pay- 
ment of  said  fine  exactly  the  kind  of  paper  money  which  he 
had  refused  to  accept  from  the  said  customer,  the  said  Presi- 
dente Municipal  did  then  and  there  decline  to  accept  such 
money — which  so  disgusted  the  druggist  that  he  at  once  closed 
his  place  of  business ! 

The  proprietor  of  the  German  Drug  Store  is  a  Mexican 
and  fearing  to  fare  yet  worse  from  the  operations  of  the 
edict,  he  is  just  now  reopening  his  store. 

After  writing  the  above,  American  citizen,  W.  B.  Arring- 
ton,  proprietor  of  a  large  Notions  Store,  came  to  the  Consul- 
ate and  said,  "A  party  wanted  me  to  accept  600  pesos  in  pay- 
ment for  some  mirrors.  The  money  which  he  offered  was 
such  as  is  being  declared  counterfeit  by  the  Government's 
agents.  I  declined  to  accept  such  money.  He  went  away  but 
returned  soon  after  with  some  agents  of  the  Presidente  Mu- 
nicipal, who  informed  me  that  if  I  continued  to  refuse  the 
money  offered  me,  I  would  be  arrested  and  fined.  I  begged 
them  to  let  me  consult  the  American  Consul  before  anything 
further  was  done." 

I  advised  Mr.  Arrington  to  return  to  his  store  and  tell 
those  people  that  I  had  instructed  him  not  only  to  continue 
to  refuse  to  accept  such  money,  but  to  submit  to  arrest,  and 


226  CARRANZA'S  DECREE  AGAINST  BUSINESS  HOUSES 

refuse  to  pay  fines  for  anything  growing  out  of  such  refusal 
until  I  could  take  the  matter  up  with  the  Washington  Gov- 
ernment. 

I  also  advised  him  to  incidentally  remark  that  if  he  must 
be  imprisoned  his  store  would  have  to  be  closed  in  the  mean- 
time, and  that  such  closing  would  not  be  of  his,  but  the  Gov- 
ernment's act,  and  that  if  the  Government  wanted  to  try  the 
case  out  with  this  understanding,  his  person  was  at  their 
disposal. 

The  agents  then  went  away,  ostensibly  to  go  back  and 
consult  the  Presidente  Municipal. 

The  cases  cited  above  will  serve  as  examples  of  hundreds 
of  other  similar  impositions. 

Such  treatement  is  being  dealt  out  to  the  public  by  Gov- 
ernment employees  to  enable  themselves  to  get  rid  of  spurious 
bills,  for  among  the  civilian  public — in  their  dealings  one  with 
another — no  such  nefarious  practices  are  being  adopted. 

I  knew  that  trouble  was  ahead  on  account  of  this  edict, 
and  the  manner  in  which  the  military  authorities  were  behav- 
ing toward  the  business  public. 

The  officers  and  soldiers  were  systematically  working  off 
all  the  bills  which  they  had  that  had  been  declared  bogus  by 
the  overnment's  agents,  and  were  being  aided  in  doing  so  by 
the  Presidente  Municipal. 

I  made  up  my  mind  that  the  best  thing  to  do  was  to  have 
our  part  of  the  fight  settled  before  the  general  row  began. 

So  I  made  a  call  on  Mr.  Arrington  that  evening,  the  3rd, 
and  laid  the  matter  before  him. 

I  explained  to  him  that  in  my  opinion  it  would  be  but  a 
short  time  then  until  he  in  common  with  every  other  mer- 
chant would  not  only  be  arrested,  but  robbed — that  that  was 
clearly  the  intention  of  present  officialdom,  and  that  if  he 
would  serve  as  the  "goat,"  and  was  sure  he  could  carry  his 
part  through  without  "getting  cold  feet,"  I  would  make  the 


IMPRISONMENT  OF  AN  AMERICAN  MERCHANT      227 

fight  single  handed — that  I  was  sure  he  would  not  have  to 
be  in  prison  but  a  few  days  at  most — when  the  whole  matter, 
so  far  as  those  who  were  under  the  protection  of  the  American 
Consulate  were  concerned,  would  be  settled. 

Mr.  Arrington  consented,  and  in  accounts  which  may  fol- 
low, I  will  tell  of  what  happened. 

April  10th,  1916. 
Arrest  and  Imprisonment  of  American  Citizen  W  B  Arrington 

In  my  letter  dated  the  3rd  of  this  month,  I  foreshadowed 
possible  troubles  of  American  citizens,  growing  out  of  the 
to-be  attempted  enforcement  of  General  Carranza's  decree,  a 
translated  copy  of  which  I  have  sent  to  you. 

On  Tuesday,  April  4th,  William  B.  Arrington,  an  Ameri- 
can citizen,  was  arrested  by  order  of  the  Presidente  Munici- 
pal, for  having  refused  to  accept  two  counterfeit  bills  of  twen- 
ty pesos  each,  and  on  refusing  to  pay  the  fine  of  500  pesos 
which  the  Presidente  Municipal  assessed  against  him  for  the 
offense,  he,  Arrington,  was  sent  to  the  Penitentiary,  escorted 
by  five  Gendarmes. 

On  the  morning  of  April  5th,  I  received  the  following,  in 
a  letter  from  Mr.  Arrington,  written  from  the  State  Peni- 
tentiary : 

"If  you  think  you  cannot  get  me  out  today,  please  close 
store  at  once,  putting  Consular  seal  on  same." 

I  had  a  copy  of  this  note  made  in  Spanish,  and  taking  it 
with  me,  went  directly  to  the  Presidente  Municipal,  Sefior 
Lous  Castellanos. 

Sefior  Castellanos  wanted  to  go  into  the  merits  of  the 
case  with  me.  I  told  him  that  I  had  not  come  for  that,  but 
to  ascertain  what  construction  the  Presidente  Municipal  would 
put  upon  my  complying  with  Mr.  Arrington's  request  of  me 
to  close  his  place  of  business.  Sefior  Castellanos  unhesitat- 
ingly, and  very  emphatically  said  that  if  the  store  was  closed 


228      IMPRISONMENT  OF  AN  AMERICAN  MERCHANT 

in  the  face  of  General  Carranza*s  edict,  that  it  would  be  re- 
opened at  once,  and  the  goods  would  be  sold  as  the  edict  di- 
rected should  be  done  in  such  cases.  I  reminded  him  that 
the  closing  of  this  place  of  business  would  be  more  an  act 
of  the  local  authorities — at  least  rendered  necessary  by  them, 
as  the  business  could  not  be  conducted  without  the  personal 
supervision  of  its  head,  and  sole  owner,  who  was  then  in 
prison  by  orders  of  the  Presidente  Municipal.  Nevertheless, 
he  insisted  that  the  store  would  have  to  be  inventoried  if 
closed.  I  then  told  him  I  would  at  once  lay  the  case  before 
the  Washington  Government,  and  ask  for  instructions,  and  I 
accordingly  did  so. 

Arrington  affirms  that  the  two  parties  offering  him  the 
twenty  dollar  bills,  were  secret  agents  of  the  Presidente  Mu- 
nicipal. 

Learning  of  Arrington's  arrest  and  imprisonment,  I  wired 
the  Department  at  6  P.  M.,  April  4th,  as  follows :  "An  Am- 
erican citizen  in  prison  for  refusing  first  to  accept  counter- 
feit money  payment  merchandise,  and  then  to  pay  fine  for 
such.  Advising  maintain  attitude  pending  instructions  Wash- 
ington.    Practices  very  arbitrary." 

Feeling  sure  the  Department  would  refer  the  matter  to 
Mr.  Rodgers,  at  Quereterro,  where  the  Carranza  Government 
now  is,  I  forwarded  to  him  uncoded  copies  of  my  message  to 
Washington  by  mail,  immediately  after  I  had  telegraphed  the 
Department,  explaining  that  I  did  so,  that  he  might  already 
have  at  hand  correctly  uncoded  copies  in  the  event  of  need. 

About  6  P.  M.,  on  the  6th,  I  received  a  telegram  from 
Mr.  Rodgers,  of  same  date  asking  further  details. 

With  this  telegram  in  hand,  I  went  to  see  Governor 
Dieguez.  Governor  Dieguez  pretended  not  to  have  heard  of 
the  case,  and  promised  me  to  have  the  Presidente  Municipal 
appar  before  him  the  next  morning,  that  he  m.ight  take  the 
matter  up  with  him. 


IMPRISONMENT  OF  AN  AMERICAN  MERCHANT      229 

I  had  delayed  bringing  the  case  before  Governor  Dieguez 
until  I  could  go  to  him  armed  with  some  message  from  my 
superiors,  for  I  was  quite  sure  that  he  not  only  knew  all  about 
the  affair  from  its  beginning,  but  that  everything  pertaining 
thereto  had  been  done  under  his  instructions,  and  to  have  gone 
to  him  with  it  before  he  could  be  made  aware  that  Washing- 
ton had  been  advised,  would  not  have  been  of  any  more  avail 
than  my  visit  to  the  Presidente  Municipal  had  proved. 

It  was  my  purpose  not  to  go  to  him  or  any  one  else,  on 
the  merits  of  the  case,  until  I  could  do  so  with  at  least  a  show- 
ing that  the  case  had  been  brought  to  the  notice  of  the  Federal 
Governments. 

After  promising  me  that  he  would  take  the  matter  up  with 
the  Presidente  Municipal  on  the  following  morning.  Governor 
D.  asked  me  to  come  to  see  him  again  at  5  P.  M.  the  next  day, 
7th.    I  insisted  on  an  earlier  hour,  which  was  agreed  to. 

On  the  morning  of  the  7th,  I  telegraphed  my  answer  to 
Mr.  Rodgers  as  follows:  "Name  of  prisoner,  William  B.  Ar- 
rington.  I  am  to  see  the  Governor  again  this  afternoon.  Ar- 
rington  maintains  that  he  will  not  pay  a  fine  for  refusing 
to  accept  counterfeit  money.  Arrington  has  sent  me  three 
positive  requests  to  close  his  store  while  he  is  in  prison.  I 
have  not  closed  his  store  yet.  Am  trying  to  avoid  further 
complications  pending  instructions  from  Washington,  or  your- 
self.   Authorities  here  know  this." 

I  called  on  Governor  Dieguez  again  on  the  afternoon  of 
the  7th,  by  appointment  made  the  day  before  when  Governor 
D.  recounted  to  me  what  the  Presidente  Municipal  had  said — > 
substantially  the  same  that  Mr.  Arrington  had  told  me — fair- 
ly set  forth  in  my  letter  to  him,  Mr.  A.,  as  hereinbelow  given, 
and  he  promised  to  have  Mr.  A.  brought  before  him  the  next 
morning,  8th. 

I  then  wrote  to  Mr.  Arrington  as  follows :  "Governor 
Dieguez  told  me  he  would  have  you  brought  before  him  in 


230      IMPRISONMENT  OF  AN  AMERICAN  MERCHANT 

the  morning.     I  think  everything  will  come  out  all  right.     I 
do  not  know  whether  he  will  put  you  at  liberty  then  or  not. 

"But  when  you  go  before  General  Dieguez,  keep  yourself 
well  in  hand,  do  not  allow  yourself  to  get  confused  or  "rat- 
tled"— whatever  may  come  up. 

"I  told  Governor  Dieguez  that  you  maintained  that  you 
did  not  refuse  to  take  Constitutionalista  money — that  you  felt 
that  you  were  refusing  only  such  money  as  the  Government's 
own  experts  were  declaring  to  be  counterfeit — or  such  as 
the  Constitutionalistas  themselves  were  refusing  to  accept  as 
Constitutionalista  money;  that  is,  while  you  were  at  your 
store. 

"As  to  what  took  place  when  you  were  before  the  Presi- 
dente  Municipal,  that  you  only  refused  to  say  anything,  as 
you  disputed  his  right  to  try  to  "sweat"  you,  or  to  make  sport 
of  you  while  you  were  a  prisoner. 

"General  Dieguez  pretended  to  me  that  you  had  asked  to 
be  sent  to  prison.  I  understood  that  you  had  been  arrested, 
and  carried  before  the  Presidente  Municipal,  and  was  there- 
fore already  a  prisoner,  and  that  you  perhaps  simply  meant — 
if  you  really  said  anything  at  all — that  before  you  would  do 
what  you  had  been  arrested  for  not  doing,  you  would  prefer 
to  go  to  prison.    Of  course,  anybody  could  understand  that. 

"But  keep  yourself  in  hand,  and  prove  to  Governor 
Dieguez  that  you  want  to  do  what  is  right,  and  that  if  you 
have  made  mistakes,  which  is  only  human,  it  was  not  done  in 
the  spirit  of  defiance  of  constituted  authorities.  You  ask  for 
simple  justice,  but  above  everything  else,  kep  cool,  and  give 
them  a  chance  to  get  out  of  their  own  nress. 

"As  to  your  having  gone  to  prison  of  your  own  wish,  if 
they  pretend  that,  or  anything  like  it,  then  ask  that  you  be  put 
at  liberty,  to  resume  life  again — the  same  as  you  were  leading 
before  you  were  arrested. 

"I  will  await  the  result  of  your  interview  with  Governor 


IMPRISONMENT  OF  AN  AMERICAN  MERCHANT      231 

Dieguez  with  much  concern.  I  will  wait  until  I  hear  from  that 
before  further  communicating  with  Mr.  Rodgers." 

As  I  had  made  it  a  point  to  keep  posted  on  occurrances  in 
the  Arrington  case,  and  having  learned  that  Governor  Dieguez 
had  not  had  Mr.  Arrington  to  see  him  up  to  6:30  P.  M.,  Satur- 
day, 8th,  I  went  to  the  Palace  to  learn  the  reason  why.  I 
found  the  Governor  just  ready  to  leave  his  office,  and  con- 
versing with  some  of  his  subordinates.  When  he  saw  me  in 
the  ante-room  he  called  to  me  to  come  right  in.  He  pretended 
to  have  been  so  occupied  during  the  day  that  he  had  not  had 
time  to  have  Mr.  Arrington  before  him.  I  reminded  him  that 
my  Government  considered  the  depriving  of  its  citizens  of 
their  liberty  in  too  serious  a  light  to  be  so  lightly  treated.  He 
at  once  turned  to  one  of  his  adjutants  and  ordered  him  to  have 
Mr.  Arrington  at  the  Palace  at  9  the  next  (Sunday)  morning, 
without  fail.  I  then  told  him  I  would  wait  until  then  before 
telegraphing  further  to  Mr..  Rodgers. 

But  fearing  some  advantage  might  be  attempted  on  ac- 
count of  a  verbal  understanding  only,  I  sent  the  following  let- 
ter to  Governor  Dieguez  early  Sunday  morning,  9th : 

"I  have  waited  until  now  to  learn  what  resolution  your 
Excellency  may  have  taken  concerning  the  case  of  American 
citizen  William  B.  Arrington,  held  prisoner  in  the  State  Peni- 
tentiary by  orders  of  the  Presidente  Municipal  of  this  city. 

"In  our  interview  of  the  day  before  yesterday,  you  told 
me  you  would  give  orders  to  the  end  of  having  said  Arring- 
ton brought  before  your  Excellency  yesterday. 

"It  is  already  time  that  I  should  inform  Mr.  James  Linn 
Rodgers,  Special  Representative  of  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment to  Senor  Carranza,  of  the  Arrington  case,  according  to 
instructions  from  Mr.  Rodgers  to  me." 

Mr.  Arrington  was  put  at  liberty  by  Governor  Dieguez 
at  10  A.  M.,  Sunday  morning,  April  9th,  after  an  imprisonment 


232  WHOLESALE  ARRESTS  OF  MERCHANTS 

of  five  days — dating  from  Tuesday,  April  4th,  1916,  without 
fine  or  other  penalty. 

The  case  might  have  been  gotten  through  differently, 
or  managed  better,  but  I  thought  I  knew  with  whom  I  was 
dealing,  and  conducted  it  in  such  manner  as  I  felt  would  be 
most  successful,  and  at  the  same  time,  give  these  people  some- 
thing to  think  about  that  might  prove  of  future  advantage 
to  those  under  the  protection  of  this  Consulate ;  not  only  in 
this,  but  other  contingencies,  that  were  sure  to  come  up,  if 
these  officials  were  left  to  feel  that  such  senseless  and  unjust 
despotism  would  be  tamely  submitted  to. 

Under  date  of  April  10th,  I  wrote  to  Mr.  Rodgers  as  fol- 
lows :  "I  am  herewith  mailing  you  a  copy  of  my  final  report 
to  the  State  Department  bearing  on  the  William  B.  Arrington 
case,  and  of  which  you  already  have  some  knowledge. 

"This  case  attracted  a  great  deal  of  attention  here,  both 
in  military  and  civil  circles — especially  among  the  business 
public. 

"There  was  not  any  one  else  here  who  could,  or  would, 
have  made  the  fight  and  perhaps  I  should  not  have  done  so — 
and  my  conduct  may  meet  with  disapproval  from  the  Depart- 
ment, yet  left  alone  to  contemplate  the  situation  I  felt,  and 
until  otherwise  instructed  will  continue  to  feel  that  some- 
thing should  have  been  done  to  stem  the  "continuous  per- 
formance" tide  of  arbitrary  acts,  which  seem  to  be  an  obses- 
sion with  these  defacto  officials." 

April  20th,  1916. 

There  were,  counting  all  nationalities,  over  five  hundred 
business  men  arrested  and  jailed  a  few  days  ago  by  orders  of 
Governor  Dieguez,  for  alleged  disregard  of  the  provisions  of 
the  Carranza  edict,  as  translated  for  you  in  my  letter  dated 
April  3rd. 

The  most  curious  thing  about  these  arrests,  and  which 
the  public  generally  did  not  seem  to  be  able  to  understand, 


WHOLESALE  ARRESTS  OF  MERCHANTS  233 

was  that  among  the  whole  lot — and  it  was  a  wholesale  lot — 
there  was  not  one  American  arrested  ! 

When  questioned  as  to  the  "whyforeness"  of  this,  I  could 
only  answer  that  I  wondered  myself  why  it  was. 

I  had  already  fought  the  matter  out  over  the  Arrington 
case,  and  while  I  thoroughly  sympathized  with  these  five 
hundred  or  more  merchants,  I  could  not  interfere  in  their 
behalf,  either  directly  or  indirectly — not  so  long  as  all  who 
were  under  the  protection  of  the  American  Consulate  were  let 
alone. 

On  the  day  of  these  wholesale  arrests  the  Palace,  and  all 
the  police  stations  of  the  city  were  filled  to  overflowing  with 
prisoners,  and  to  conduct  these  prisoners  to  the  Penitentiary 
later  a  number  of  street  cars  had  to  be  requisitioned. 

It  was  a  curious  sight — to  see  the  heads  of  nearly  every 
business  house  in  the  city  under  arrest — while  the  Govern- 
ment's agents  wer  fleecing  them  of  something  over  two  and 
one-half  million  pesos ! 


234  FINANCIAL  EDICTS  AGGRAVATE  DISTRUST 


CHAPTER  TWENTY-SEVEN 

WHILE  CARRANZAISM  CONTINUES  UNABATED,  WE 
ARE  AGAIN  ORDERED  TO  QUIT  MEXICO 

More   Recent  Financial   Edicts  which  Aggravate  Distrusts 
Already  Entertained 

May  9th,  1916. 

About  a  week  ago,  a  Carranza  edict  virtually  demonit- 
ized  at  a  stroke,  most  of  the  paper  money  then  in  circulation, 
and  that  part  of  the  present  money — legal  tender  up  to  the 
first  of  July  will  also  be  prohibited  from  circulation.  That 
part  which  is  allowed  to  circulate  until  July  first,  may,  in  the 
meantime  be  exchanged  for  what  they  will  issue  under  the 
name  of  "Infalsificable"  at  the  rate  of  two  of  the  present 
money  to  one  peso  of  the  "Infalsificable." 

One  of  the  effects  of  the  edict  was  to  throw  out  of  circula- 
tion at  once  all  th  Obregon  and  Dieguez  money  which,  on  ac- 
count of  one  of  the  many  former  financial  edicts  requiring 
all  other  kinds  of  revolutionary  money  except  the  Obregon- 
Dieguez  issues  to  be  "resellado,"  (restamped,)  had  become 
the  favorite  paper  money  here. 

This  favoritism  for  the  Obrgon  and  Dieguez  money  was 
heightened  from  the  fact  that  such  a  large  percentage  of  the 
money  which  had  to  be  "resellado"  was  being  declared  "falso," 
(counterfeit,)  by  the  Government  agents. 

Therefore,  when  the  Obregon  and  Dieguez  money  was 
suddenly  thrown  out  of  circulation  by  said  edict — many,  and 
especially  the  market  people  and  wage  earners,  were  caught 
with  hardly  any  other  kind  of  money  in  their  possession. 
Moreover,  nearly  all  the  subsidiary  bills  used  here  for  small 
change  were  of  these  issues. 


FINANCIAL  EDICTS  AGGRAVATE  DISTRUST  235 

Hence  thousands  of  people  awoke  on  Wednesday  morn- 
ing, the  3rd  of  May,  and  found  themslves  unable  to  purchase 
in  the  markets  of  the  city  as  much  as  a  day's  rations. 

And  there  was  not  offered  any  relief  ahead  than  the  prom- 
is  by  the  Government  that  after  the  30th  of  June,  they  might 
deposit  with  the  Government's  agents,  such  money  as  was  yet 
permitted  to  circulate  and  receive — sometime  in  the  future — 
one  "infalsificable'  'peso  for  every  two  of  the  old. 

Thus  the  Govrnment  after  repeated  promises  of  consider- 
ing the  redemption  of  all  the  Constitutionalist  money  as  a 
sacred  obligation,  turns  about  and  in  its  next  breath  repudi- 
ates at  least  a  part  of  this  same  money — repudiates  the  value 
of  it  all — for  there  is  no  more  substantial  basis  for  sustaining 
the  new  currency  to  be  issued  than  the  old;  the  promise  of 
the  same  Government,  which  has  never  yet  shown  an  ability 
to  cope  with  the  financial  situation ;  only  succeeding  in  mak- 
ing bad  matters  worse  in  every  one  of  its  blind  flounderings. 

And  then  a  press  which  dares  not  do  otherwise,  comes  to 
the  Govrnment's  support  in  most  bitter  invectives  against  the 
business  public  for  not  demonstrating  greater  confidence  in 
the  Government's  promises ! 

But  the  business  public  cannot  view  things  in  that  light — 
any  more  than  can  the  poor  market  people  and  wage  earners 
who  have  already  so  often  seen  their  meager  earnings  "go  up 
in  smoke,"  as  it  were,  with  the  publication  of  some  new  edict 
of  "El  Jefe  en  General  del  Ejercito  Constitutionalista  y  Encar- 
godo  de  los  Poderes  Executitivos,"  that  they  cannot  get  any 
grip  at  all  on  their  confidence  in  the  Government,  and  failing 
in  which  they  are  so  often  and  so  savagely  ostracised  by  the 
subsidized  press. 

That  there  have  been  abuses  on  the  part  of  the  business 
public,  there  can  be  no  question,  but  to  charge  them  with  be- 
ing the  cause  of  the  depreciation  in  the  value  of  the  paper 
money  of  the  country  is  absurd.     Nearly  everything  that  the 


236       A  FEW  SIDE-LIGHTS  ON  PRESENT  SITUATION 

present  de  facto  Government  has  done,  has  resulted  in  bene- 
fiting the  military,  to  the  detriment  of  the  public. 

A  civilian  could  not  get  his  demonitized  bills  exchanged 
at  all,  unless  he  used  an  officer  as  a  "go  between,"  and  paid 
usurious  percentages  to  have  it  done.  This  was  common 
knowledge.  Hence,  about  ninety-nine  per  cent  of  the  civilians 
lost  out  on  the  "deal." 

If  the  present  Government  has  ever  done  a  single  thing, 
that  by  any  logical  process  of  reasoning  could  redound  to  the 
benefit  of  the  people,  "the  people"  have  failed  to  see  it,  or  ap- 
preciate it  as  such,  either  in  theory  or  practice ! 

Hence  the  great  want  of  confidence  on  the  part  of  the 
public  in  the  present  de  facto  Government." 

April  24th,  1915. 
A  Few  Side-lights 

On  the  17th,  at  Orendain,  the  junction  of  the  Southern 
Pacific  R.  R.  with  the  Mexican  Central,  about  40  miles  out, 
robbers  visited  the  house  occupied  by  Conductor  Scott  Wal- 
lace and  Engineer  Charles  Mills,  employees  of  the  S.  P.,  and 
took  everything  found  in  the  building.  Messrs.  Scotts  and 
Mills,  in  the  meantime,  were  hiding  in  a  subterranean  den 
they  had  excavated  in  anticipation  of  such  visitations,  and  es- 
caped unhurt.  The  bandits  seemed  very  much  disappointed 
at  not  finding  the  Americans,  and  on  leaving  said  that  they 
would  return  the  following  night  and  kill  the  "Gringos." 
But  Wallace  and  Mills  made  their  way  towards  Guadalajara 
as  soon  as  day  was  breaking,  and  now  declare  they  will  not 
go  back  to  their  jobs,  but  that  they  will  return  to  the  States. 

At  such  towns  in  the  State  as  Ameca,  Etztlan,  Tequilla, 
Cyula,  Zapotlan  and  Autlan,  there  are  maintained  bodies  of 
soldiers,  ostensibly  to  protect  them,  and  use  them  as  sub-bases 
for  eliminating  bandits  from  the  surrounding  sections,  but  the 
bandits  are  never  chased  far  beyond  town  limits.    Result,  the 


A  FEW  SIDE-LIGHTS  ON  PRESENT  SITUATION       237 

bandits  live  off  the  people  out  in  country  districts,  while  the 
troops  of  the  de  facto  Government  live  off  those  in  towns. 
When  any  of  them  see  anything  they  want,  they  take  it,  and 
any  one  who  might  have  the  boldness  to  object  would  receive 
the  summary  treatment  as  that  given  a  Mexican  ranchman 
at  the  hands  of  a  Carranza  Lieutenant  in  Ameca  a  few  days 
since,  which  was  related  to  me  by  an  eye-witness  (an  Ameri- 
can,) of  the  incident,  as  follows  : 

Lieutenant : — "Lend  me  your  horse.  Mister." 

Ranchman  : — "I  need  it  myself." 

Pum !  pum !  and  the  ranchman  fell  to  the  pavement,  dead, 
when  the  Lieutnant  took  the  horse,  saying,  "I  guess  you  don't 
need  the  horse  now ! 

I  am  informed  by  an  American  witness  that  at  a  cine- 
matograph show  last  night,  in  this  city,  a  representation  of 
the  inauguration  of  President  Wilson  was  attempted.  When 
that  part  of  the  film  showing  Mr.  Wilson  and  Mr.  Taft  rid- 
ing in  a  carriage  together  came  on  the  screen,  hissings  be- 
came so  tumultuous,  that  the  film  had  to  be  withdrawn  en- 
tirely. 

This  straw  indicates  somewhat  as  to  which  way  the  wind 
is  beginning  to  blow  down  here. 

Nevertheless,  I  am  doing  my  utmost  in  an  endeavor  lo 
create,  and  maintain,  calmness  of  deportment  with  every  one, 
assuring  all  that  I  feel  confident  that  the  two  Governments 
understand  each  other,  and  that  as  to  what  has  occurred  so 
far,  however  unpleasant  the  incidents  were  as  well  as  what 
may  transpire  in  the  future  will  be  amicably  arranged  be- 
tween the  representative  heads  of  the  two  friendly  Nations, 
but  it  is  beginning  to  be  up-hill  work,  and  I  cannot  tell  how 
long  complete  harmony  may  be  maintained  hereabouts  with 
everybody,  if  things  continue  to  happen  as  at  Paral,  and  else- 
where. 

In  the  meantime,  I  am  endeavoring  to  properly  provide 


238  ORDERED  TO  LEAVE  MEXICO  AGAIN 

for  the  worst  contingencies,  in  behalf  of  those  for  whose  in- 
terests and  lives  I  could  not  but  feel  at  least  a  quasi-respon- 
sibility,  in  the  event  of  dire  extremity.  This  means  that  if 
the  worst  should  come,  we  would  try  to  hold  everything  to- 
gether, and  attempt  to  tide  through  the  possible  dangers  with 
the  hope  of  bringing  all  Americans  out  whole,  in  the  end; 
not  wishing  it  to  be  inferred,  however,  that  we  at  all  covet 
the  role  of  chief  protagonist — or  would  envy  in  the  least  any 
American  playing  a  minor  part  in  a  drama  that  might  make 
necessary  a  resort  to  heroics. 

We  are  Ordered  to  Leave  Mexico  the  Second  Time,  and 

Gladly  Obey 

From  the  dates  of  the  two  foregoing  letters,  up  to  and 
including  the  time  of  our  departure  from  Mexico,  (our  second 
departure,)  there  was  very  little  to  report — we  were  all  thence 
concerned  mostly  about  the  situation  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  Republic,  growing  out  of  the  Pershing  Expedition,  and 
we  were  expecting  to  receive  instructions  at  any  time  to  again 
leave  the  territory  of  Mexico — and  finally  the  following  mes- 
sage came  over  the  wire: 

"Querreterro,  Mexico,  June  20,  1916.  "Strongly  advise 
you,  together  with  all  Americans,  leave  at  once  for  West 
coast.  Situation  very  critical.  Acknowledge  receipt  of  this 
telegram,  advising  if  Americans  are  about  leaving  for  the 
UnitedStates."  (Signed)  James  Linn  Rodgers,  Special  Re- 
presentative State  Department. 

On  the  same  date  there  was  also  received  at  the  Con- 
sulate some  private  instructions  on  the  subject  of  our  leaving, 
direct  from  the  State  Department. 

The  following  will  tell  about  all  there  is  to  say  about  our 
second  exodus  from  Mexico: 


REFUGEEING  FROM  MEXICO  THE  SECOND  TIME     239 
Los  Angeles,  California,  July  21,  1916. 
Refugeeing  out  of  Mexico 

On  receipt  of  the  Department's  telegram  dated  June 
19th,  (received  on  20th,)  after  first  telegraphing  to  all  Amer- 
icans in  outlying  districts,  I  went  to  Military  Governor,  Gen- 
eral Manuel  M.  Dieguez,  and  asked  transportation  facilities 
for  all  Americans  to  the  port  of  Manzanillo,  as  early  as  pos- 
sible. 

All  trains,  except  military,  had  been  suspended  on  the 
Manzanillo  branch,  on  account  of  a  scarcity  of  locomotives  in 
particular,  and  rolling  stock  in  general.  On  account  of  this, 
Governor  Dieguez  insisted  that  we  had  better  all  go  via  Lar- 
edo, as  he  thought  regular  trains  were  running  from  Guadala- 
jara to  that  place. 

I  later  learned  that  a  complete  embargo  against  Ameri- 
cans traveling  on  the  Mexican  roads  was  being  practiced. 
Also,  I  received  a  message  from  the  American  employees  of 
the  Cinco  Minas  mine,  telling  of  their  detention  (20  in  num- 
ber) at  Magdalena  while  en  route  to  Guadalajara  in  response 
to  my  telegram. 

I  returned  to  Governor  Dieguez  and  laid  these  matters 
before  him,  and  asked  the  meaning  of  it  all.  He  protested 
ignorance  of  any  such  projects  against  Americans,  but  after 
personally  investigating,  and  finding  that  there  was  truth  in 
the  report,  gave  orders  for  an  engine  to  be  dispatched  to  bring 
the  Cinco  Minas  people  in,  and  for  a  special  train  to  be  made 
up  to  carry  Americans  to  Manzanillo,  as  quick  as  their  crip- 
pled facilities  would  admit  of  its  being  done.  This  was  on 
the  morning  of  the  21st  of  June  and  the  foreigners  who  were 
being  detained  by  the  military  authorities  at  Magdalena  were 
brought  in  during  that  night,  yet  it  was  not  until  4 :30  P.  M., 
on  the  23rd,  that  the  special  train  for  Manzanillo  was  ready. 
Early  on  the  morning  of  the  23rd  I  began  advising  Ameri- 


240     REFUGEEING  FROM  MEXICO  THE  SECOND  TIME 

cans  to  stop  coming  to  the  Consulate  for  further  informa- 
tion, but  for  all  of  them  to  get  ready  at  once,  and  go  to  the 
railroad  station,  and  board  the  train  as  soon  as  it  was  made 
up.  Many  did  not  believe  that  Governor  Dieguez  would 
comply  with  the  promises  he  had  previously  made  me ;  others 
vascillated  as  to  whether  to  leave,  or  chance  it  by  remaining 
at  Guadalajara,  and  a  few  alleged  fear  at  travelling  on  a  spe- 
cial train  known  to  have  been  made  up  to  carry  foreigners 
exclusively.  But  76  Americans,  and  2  British  subjects  board- 
ed the  train,  which  departed  at  7  P.  M.,  something  over  100 
American  citizens  failing  to  take  advantage  of  the  oppor- 
tunity, some  for  reasons  above  mentioned.  Only  about  20 
of  these  were  Amreican  born,  the  great  majority  of  those  re- 
maining consisting  of  the  Mexican  wives,  and  their  children 
by  American  husbands,  who  had  not  calculated  on  leaving  un- 
der any  circumstances,  the  same  as  they  had  behaved  in  the 
exodus  of  1914. 

The  behavior  of  the  thousands  of  Mexicans  who  had 
gathered  at  the  railroad  station  on  the  occasion  of  our  leaving 
Guadalajara  was  very  friendly,  and  as  our  train  was  depart- 
ing many  "good-byes'*  were  heard  and  waving  of  hands  seen. 
1  was  impressed  that  if  the  multitude  gathered  about  the  sta- 
tion had  felt  that  they  dared  do  so,  they  would  have  shouted 
"vivan  los  Gringos,"  (long  live  the  Americans!) 

The  convoy  did  not  meet  with  any  serious  difficulties  en 
route,  the  crowds  which  had  gathered  at  the  various  stations 
along  the  way  behaved  very  amicably  towards  us,  and  the 
treatment  we  received  from  the  port  officials  and  people  of 
Manzanillo  was  courteous. 

Taken  altogether,  the  deportment  of  the  Mexican  people 
towards  the  Americans  on  the  latter's  departure  from  Mexico 
on  this  occasion,  contrasted  wonderfully  from  the  menacing 
demonstrations  made  against  them  everywhere,  while  they 
were  trying  to  get  out  of  Mexico  in  April,  1914. 


REFUGEEING  FROM  MEXICO  THE  SECOND  TIME     241 

Nevertheless,  soon  after  beginning  our  journey  from  Gua- 
dalajara to  Manzanillo,  it  developed  that  we  w^ould  be  com- 
pelled to  submit  to  graft  from  the  conductor  and  engineer  of 
our  train,  else  we  would  have  found  ourselves  helplessly  side- 
tracked at  some  out-of-the-way  place,  and  perhaps  would 
have  been  bedevilled  in  other  ways,  the  devising  of  the  means 
for  which  the  brain  of  the  average  Mexican  is  so  prolific. 

On  arriving  at  Manzanillo  we  all  went  aboard  of  the  U. 
S.  Cruiser  Albany,  where  we  remained  until  the  2nd  of  July, 
when  we  were  transferred  to  the  Pacific  Mail  Steamship  San 
Jose,  bound  for  San  Francisco. 

Wishing  to  give  the  Americans  who  had  remained  at 
Guadalajara  yet  another  opportunity  to  get  out  of  the  coun- 
try, on  the  27th  of  June  I  telegraphed  to  Sefior  Gaston  Supe, 
French  Vice  Consul  at  Guadalajara,  (with  whom  I  had  en- 
trusted the  care  of  American  interestr  there,)  to  notify  all 
Americans  who  had  remained  over,  that  they  could  find  Am- 
erican Cruisers  in  the  Bay  of  Manzanillo,  if  they  could  man- 
age to  reach  there,and  at  the  same  time  I  telegraphed  to  Gov- 
ernor Dieguez,  begging  him  to  continue  to  extend  his  aid  to 
any  Americans  who  might  yet  want  to  leave,  by  facilitating 
them  in  reaching  Manzanillo.  I  received  an  answer  to  my 
telegram  to  Senor  Supe,  informing  me  that  nearly  all,  if  not 
all,  Americans  who  had  been  left  at  Guadalajara  would  leave 
by  special  train  for  Manzanillo  on  the  morning  of  July  2nd, 
but  as  our  boat  left  on  the  night  of  the  2nd,  I  could  not  learn 
who  or  how  many  Americans  came  out  on  that  occasion. 

In  conclusion  I  will  say  that  you  may  rest  assured  ot 
one  thing:  That  if  I  should  be  ordered  back  to  Mexico  be- 
fore in  my  own  judgment  it  would  be  proper  for  me  to  return, 
I  shall  not  go.  In  fact,  I  have  been  wanting  to  leave  thar 
revolution-ridden  country  for  more  than  a  year,  but  .iitil 
Washington  had  extended  friendly  recognition  to  some  fac- 
tion down  there,  I  could  not  very  well  quit,  (for  reasons  more 


242  AUTHOR  CONCLUDES  HE  HAS  ENOUGH  OF  MEXICO 

clearly  set  forth  in  the  first  chapter  of  these  Chronicle-i,  under 
the  sub-caption,  "How  the  Author  Happened  to  be  iu  charge 
of  the  Guadalajara  Consulate,"  etc.,)  but  now  that  Mr.  Wil- 
son has  seen  fit  to  recognize  the  faction  headed  by  General 
Carranza — who  never  has  established,  nor  ever  will  b'i  able 
to  maintain  what  might  be  called  a  Government,  I  feel  that 
I  can  cease  to  consider  myself  as  being  **all  bound  'round 
with  a  woolen  string"  to  the  American  Consulate  at  Guadala- 
jara, Mexico. 


COMMON  SLANDERS  ABOUT  MEXICAN  PEOPLE      243 
(Given  as  a  Semi-Appendix) 

CHAPTER  TWENTY-EIGHT 

IN  REGARD  TO  SOME  COMMON  SLANDERS  ABOUT 
THE  MEXICAN  PEOPLE 

I  had  not  travelled  far  on  my  first  visit  to  Mexico,  in 
1902,  until  some  one  undertook  to  put  me  wise,  as  he  ex- 
pressed it,  regarding  some  things  about  the  Mexican  people. 

Among  other  gratuitous  pieces  of  information  offered 
was  the  repetition  of  a  saying  which  I  had  heard  on  former 
occasions. 

It  ran  about  thus :  "In  Mexico,  the  flowers  have  no  odor, 
the  birds  no  song,  the  men  no  honor,  and  the  women  no 
virtue." 

And  I  have  heard  the  same  animadversion  on  many  sul)- 
sequent  occasions. 

I  made  the  journey  early  in  the  month  of  January,  when 
there  are  not  so  many  flowers  to  be  seen  even  in  Mexico  as 
during  the  Spring  and  Summer  months,  nor  birds,  either. 

I  could  not  speak  the  language  of  the  country  at  the  time 
referred  to,  and  so  perforce  I  had  to  wait  and  watch  for  de- 
velopments. 

But  now,  and  after  fifteen  years  of  life  in  Mexico,  during 
which  time  I  learned  the  language  of  the  country,  and  have 
enjoyed  pretty  free  intercourse  with  the  Mexican  people,  I 
do  not  hesitate  to  characterize  the  above  saying  as  a  slander 
of  everything  which  it  mentions. 

I  do  not  know  of  a  country  where  the  flowers  emit  more 
delicious  odors,  or  the  many  beautiful  birds  make  sweeter 
song  than  they  do  in  Mexico.  This  much  I  could  find  out 
without  any  knowledge  of  the  language  of  the  people  of  the 


244      COMMON  SLANDERS  ABOUT  MEXICAN  PEOPLE 

country;  and  I  became  early  convinced  of  the  untruthfulness 
of  at  least  a  part  of  the  saying. 

Also,  along  with  an  acquisition  of  the  Spanish  language, 
and  a  sequential  mixing  with  the  Mexican  people,  I  was  not 
very  tardy  in  discovering — at  least  to  my  own  satisfaction — 
that  the  whole  saying  was  false,  in  whole  and  in  part.  It 
was  only  fabricated  in  the  minds  of  evil  thinkers,  and  uttered 
by  the  mouths  of  thoughtless  irresponsibles. 

Social  virtue  is  a  product  of  education — education  and 
civilization  go  hand  in  hand — they  are  largely  synonymous 
terms. 

Those  who  knew  an3^thing  about  the  social  (educational) 
status  of  the  negroes  of  the  Southern  States  during  the  times 
of  slavery,  are  very  well  aware  that  virtue  among  them  was 
of  an  entirely  negligible  quality — or  nothing  at  all. 

The  social  conditions  of  the  Mexican  peon  before  1850 
were  as  bad,  or  worse,  than  were  those  of  the  American 
slaves. 

Was  it  the  fault  of  the  negro  slaves  in  the  United  States 
that  they  were  not  virtuous,  or  was  it  the  fault  of  their  owners 
and  drivers — of  those  who  were  responsible  for  their  every 
condition  of  life? 

Was  it  the  Mexican  peons  who  were  to  blame  for  their 
want  of  virtue,  or  was  it  their  Spanish  task-masters,  who, 
having  made  a  conquest  of  the  country  and  enslaved  its  in- 
habitants, had  kept  the  Aztec  people,  from  generation  to 
generation,  in  abject  penury  and  helpless  ignorance? 

Once  the  writer  heard  Virginia  Fabriga,  the  leading 
Mexican  tragedienne,  in  one  of  her  favorite  plays  say,  "Que 
vale  la  honra  a  los  pobres?"  It  was  rendered  exlamatorlly — 
as  a  climax;  literally  translated,  "of  what  value  is  honor  to 
the  poor?"  but  in  the  sense — connection — in  which  la  Fabriga 
used  it  at  the  time,  it  meant  more  nearly  something  like  this : 


COMMON  SLANDERS  ABOUT  MEXICAN  PEOPLE      245 

If  a  poor  peon  girl  should  live  a  virtuous  life,  she  would  not 
receive  any  credit  for  it  at  the  shrine  of  public  opinion. 

Who  is  to  blame  for  what  this  was  meant  to  portray — as 
well  as  for  many  other  social  ills  that  human  flesh  is  heir 
to — not  only  in  Mexico,  but  elsewhere  as  well;  very  much 
"elsewhere"? 

The  fashionable  Mexican  audience  heartily  cheered  the 
actress  on  this  occasion,  and  went  away  highly  pleased  with 
the  performance;  and  the  day  after,  continued  to  treat,  and 
to  judge,  their  poor  servants  with  as  much  harshness  as  ever! 

And  this  is  about  what  has  been  going  on  down  in  Mex- 
ico— our  next  door  neighbor — for  over  three  hundred  and 
fifty  years!  Indeed,  it  was  under  pretty  good  headway  be- 
fore the  landing  of  our  own  forefathers  at  Plymouth  Rock! 

And  some  other  things  pretty  nearly  as  bad  have  been 
going  on  in  other  directions  and  climes;  entirely  too  long,  as 
to  time,  and  too  much,  and  of  too  great  varieties,  in  point 
of  quantity  and  kind. 

We  wonder  what,  after  the  lapse  of  a  few  thousand  years, 
the  then  scientists  will  be  saying  to  their  audiences  while 
lecturing  on  recently  exhumed  specimens  of  the  present  day 
social  dinusauri? 

While  sitting  in  one  of  the  many  beautiful  plazas  of 
Guadalajara  one  day,  a  Mexican  hacendado  and  the  writer 
were  speaking  of  the  peon  element  of  the  country,  when, 
among  other  things  that  the  gentleman  said, — I  remember 
pne, — which  in  substance,  was  as  follows:  "They  do  not 
deserve  gentle  treatment — it  spoils  them ;  they  are  no  better 
than  brutes — the  harsher  the  treatment  they  receive  the  bet- 
ter they  work ;  they  are  insusceptible  of  education — they  were 
made  to  be  only  hewers  of  wood  and  drawers  of  water." 

When  I  mentioned  to  him  the  greatly  transformed  con- 
ditions of  the  negroes  of  my  country  now,  as  compared  to 
the  times  of  slavery,  and  of  their  proportionate  improvement 


246      COMMON  SLANDERS  ABOUT  MEXICAN  PEOPLE 

in  every  way  as  they  were  being  educated,  he  remarked  that 
that  might  be  the  case  with  the  negro  race,  but  that  education 
would  be  of  no  avail  in  trying  to  change  the  Mexican  peon 
into  a  better  or  higher  something. 

The  very  contrary  is  the  case — the  Mexican  Aztec  is  very 
quick  to  learn;  the  so-called  peon  is  remarkably  apt — when 
he  has  a  chance.  With  the  meager  school  facilities  which 
they  have  enjoyed  within  the  past  thirty-five  of  forty  years, 
the  peon  population  has  made  wonderful  progress. 

But  they  need  more  substantial  aid  and  moral  encourage- 
ment than  they  have  ever  yet  known ;  and  until  they  may 
have  had  these,  and  afterwards  proved  themselves  wanting — 
which  we  do  not  believe  would  ever  happen — it  would  be  cruel 
to  pass  harsh  judgment  upon  them. 

Concerning  this  class  of  Mexicans,  the  Author's  testi- 
mony would  have  to  be  about  as  follows:  that  during  his 
fifteen  years  residence  among  them  he  has  had  in  his  em- 
ploy, both  in  the  Consulate  and  his  private  residence,  a  goodly 
number  of  servants,  men  and  women ;  that  barring  two  cases 
only,  all  were  faithful  in  the  performance  of  their  duties;  and 
as  far  as  he  knows,  not  one  thing  was  ever  stolen  from  him 
by  any  of  them. 

Following  the  Author's  return  to  Guadalajara  after  hav- 
ing earlier  refugeed,  in  1914,  many  Mexican  servants  and 
employes  of  those  Americans  who  had  so  hastily  fled  from 
Mexico,  came  to  the  American  Consulate  seeking  information 
respecting  their  American  "amos"  (masters)  ;  and  some  of 
them  were  actually  suffering  for  the  necessaries  of  life.  These 
poor,  and  ignorant,  people  flocked  to  the  writer  on  account 
of  his  official  position — they  thought  that  a  Consular  officer 
was  an  all-powerful  somebody ! 

Also,  on  account  of  his  official  position,  the  writer  re- 
ceived letters  from  many  Americans  who  had  remained  in  the 
States,  and  who  had  left  their  houses,  each,  with  all  they 


COMMON  SLANDERS  ABOUT  MEXICAN  PEOPLE      247 

respectively  contained,  in  the  care  of  their  Mexican  servants. 
I  was  asked  by  many  of  these  Americans  to  have  their  effects 
inventoried,  packed  and  stored. 

In  not  a  single  instance  was  there  anything  found 
missing  from  among  household  goods  or  merchandise  so  left, 
according  to  enumerations  of  effects  furnished  me  by  the 
American  proprietors. 

Yet  I  have  repeatedly  heard  upper-class  Mexicans  assert 
that  to  steal,  was  a  normal  trait  of  the  peon  element — that 
the  instinct  was  in  their  blood! 

Among  other  American  business  concerns  left  in  the 
hands  of  this  class  of  Mexicans,  were  those  of  Louis  J.  Har- 
rison's tannery  and  leather  goods  factory,  and  the  hardware 
house  of  John  H.  Kipp;  the  former  was  not  only  conducted 
by  his  foreman,  assisted  by  other  employes,  but  proved  a 
source  of  financial  assistance  to  Mr.  Harrison  and  family 
during  their  first  year's  residence  in  the  States.  After  finally 
returning  to  the  States  myself  in  1917,  I  met  Mr.  Harrison, 
who  is  now  living  in  Los  Angeles,  when  he  spoke  in  terms 
of  highest  praise  of  the  manner  in  which  his  Mexican  em- 
ployes behaved  towards  htm  during  his  enforced  absence  from 
Mexico.  The  hardware  business  of  Mr.  John  H.  Kipp  repre- 
sented an  investment  of  350,000  pesos  (equal  to  $175,000 
American  money).  Mr.  Kipp,  some  time  after  his  return  to 
Guadalajara,  told  me  that  he  was  sure  that  the  affairs  of  his 
establishment — which  had  been  kept  open  for  business  all 
during  his  four  months'  absence — had  been  well  conducted; 
that  every  article  which  he  had  noted  as  missing  from  his 
stock  of  hardware,  had  been  accounted  for  in  the  form  of 
sales  made,  and  that  for  each  of  these,  he  had  found  cor- 
respondingly, either  specie,  or  American  exchange,  deposited 
in  his  safe. 

Mr.  Charles  B.  Corrothers,  for  a  time  Clerk  of  the  Con- 
sulate, and  who  is  now  living  at  Guadalajara,  could  give  most 


248      COMMON  SLANDERS  ABOUT  MEXICAN  PEOPLE 

interesting  accounts,  not  only  of  his  personal  experiences,  but 
of  those  of  many  others — all  and  every  one  of  them  equally 
to  the  credit  of  the  peon  element  of  Mexico — to  the  credit 
of  those  most  looked  down  upon,  and  ostracised  as  a  band 
of  thieves,  by  their  former  Mexican  owners ! 

The  reader  should  bear  in  mind  that  in  all  the  above  cases 
the  peons  in  question  could  have  appropriated  to  their  own 
uses  everything  which  had  been  left  in  their  charge  by  their 
American  "amos,"  nor  would  they  have  run  any  risks  of 
after  punishments  for  having  done  so,  which  fact  they  them- 
selves were  well  aware  of. 

As  to  the  middle  and  upper  classes  in  Mexico — who  con- 
stitute only  a  small  minority  of  the  whole  population — I 
would  say  that  among  the  men,  I  found  as  large  a  proportion 
of  honor  in  evidence,  as  among  any  other  people  of  my  ac- 
quaintance. 

The  women  of  these  classes  are  not  only  beautiful,  and 
as  virtuous  as  any  other  people,  but  they  make  the  dearest 
sisters  and  daughters,  devoted  wives  and  mothers,  and  the 
most  fascinating  sweethearts.  Altogether,  they  are  just  about 
what  might  be  expectea  to  be  found  among  any  other  edu- 
cated and  cultured  people 

These  middle  and  u\  per  classes,  however,  in  Mexico — 
(and  we  fear  that  throughout  Latin-America  such  has  been 
too  much  the  case) — have  never  concerned  themselves  as 
they  should  have  done,  in  trying  to  better  the  conditions  of 
the  poor  peon  element  of  their  country.  They  do  not  appear 
to  have  ever  seriously  considered  how  awkward  it  must  be  to 
try  to  maintain  a  Democratic  form  of  Government  with  an 
illiterate  population  of  eighty-five  per  cent. 


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